verne, jules - twenty thousand leagues under the sea

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Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeaVerne, Jules, 1828-1905

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1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------About the print version

The OmnibusVerne, JulesJ. B. Lippincott CompanyGarden City, NY

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1873

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The OmnibusJULES VERNEcontainsTwenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seapage 7Around the World in Eighty Days

page 297The Blockade Runnerspage 489From the Earth to the Moon and a Trip Around itpage 545

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 3

THE OMNIBUS JULES VERNE

J. B. Lippincott Company ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 4

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. AT THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N.Y. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 5

TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA

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Chapter 1.1

A SHIFTING REEF

THE year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysteriousand puzzling phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten. Not tomention rumours which agitated the maritime population and excited the



public mind, even in the interior of continents, seafaring men wereparticularly excited. Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels,skippers, both of Europe and America, naval officers of all countries, andthe Governments of several States on the two continents, were deeplyinterested in the matter.

For some time past vessels had been met by "an enormous thing," a longobject, spindle-shaped, occasionally phosphorescent, and infinitely largerand more rapid in its movements than a whale.

The facts relating to this apparition (entered in various log-books)agreed in most respects as to the shape of the object or creature inquestion, the untiring rapidity of its movements, its surprising power oflocomotion, and the peculiar life with which it seemed endowed. If it was awhale, it surpassed in size all those hitherto classified in science.Taking into consideration the mean of observations made at divers times --rejecting the timid estimate of those who assigned to this object a lengthof two hundred feet, equally with the exaggerated opinions which set itdown as a mile in width and three in length -- we might fairly concludethat this mysterious being surpassed greatly all dimensions admitted by thelearned ones of the day, if it existed at all. And that it did exist was anundeniable fact; and, with that tendency which disposes the human mind infavour of the ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 8

marvellous, we can understand the excitement produced in the entire worldby this supernatural apparition. As to classing it in the list of fables,the idea was out of the question.

On the 20th of July, 1866, the steamer Governor Higginson, of theCalcutta and Burnach Steam Navigation Company, had met this moving massfive miles off the east coast of Australia. Captain Baker thought at firstthat he was in the presence of an unknown sandbank; he even prepared todetermine its exact position when two columns of water, projected by themysterious object, shot with a hissing noise a hundred and fifty feet upinto the air. Now, unless the sandbank had been submitted to the

intermittent eruption of a geyser, the Governor Higginson had to do neithermore nor less than with an aquatic mammal, unknown till then, which threwup from its blow-boles columns of water mixed with air and vapour.

Similar facts were observed on the 23rd of July in the same year, inthe Pacific Ocean, by the Columbus, of the West India and Pacific SteamNavigation Company. But this extraordinary creature could transport itselffrom one place to another with surprising velocity; as, in an interval ofthree days, the Governor Higginson and the Columbus had observed it at twodifferent points of the chart, separated by a distance of more than sevenhundred nautical leagues.

Fifteen days later, two thousand miles farther off, the Helvetia, of

the Compagnie-Nationale, and the Shannon, of the Royal Mail SteamshipCompany, sailing to windward in that portion of the Atlantic lying betweenthe United States and Europe, respectively signalled the monster to eachother in 42° 15' N. lat. and 60° 35' W. long. In these simultaneousobservations they thought themselves justified in estimating the minimumlength of the mammal at more than three hundred and fifty feet, as theShannon and Helvetia were of smaller dimensions than it, though theymeasured three hundred feet over all.

Now the largest whales, those which frequent those parts of the sea



round the Aleutian, Kulammak, and Umgullich ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 9

islands, have never exceeded the length of sixty yards, if they attainthat.

In every place of great resort the monster was the fashion. They sangof it in the cafes, ridiculed it in the papers, and represented it on thestage. All kinds of stories were circulated regarding it. There appeared inthe papers caricatures of every gigantic and imaginary creature, from thewhite whale, the terrible "Moby Dick" of sub-arctic regions, to the immensekraken, whose tentacles could entangle a ship of five hundred tons andhurry it into the abyss of the ocean. The legends of ancient times wereeven revived.

Then burst forth the unending argument between the believers and theunbelievers in the societies of the wise and the scientific journals. "Thequestion of the monster" inflamed all minds. Editors of scientificjournals, quarrelling with believers in the supernatural, spilled seas ofink during this memorable campaign, some even drawing blood; for from thesea-serpent they came to direct personalities.

During the first months of the year 1867 the question seemed buried,

never to revive, when new facts were brought before the public. It was thenno longer a scientific problem to be solved, but a real danger seriously tobe avoided. The question took quite another shape. The monster became asmall island, a rock, a reef, but a reef of indefinite and shiftingproportions.

On the 5th of March, 1867, the Moravian, of the Montreal OceanCompany, finding herself during the night in 27° 30' lat. and 72° 15'long., struck on her starboard quarter a rock, marked in no chart for thatpart of the sea. Under the combined efforts of the wind and its fourhundred horse- power, it was going at the rate of thirteen knots. Had itnot been for the superior strength of the hull of the Moravian, she wouldhave been broken by the shock and gone down with the 237 passengers she was

bringing home from Canada.

The accident happened about five o'clock in the morning, as the daywas breaking. The officers of the quarter-deck hurried to the after-part ofthe vessel. They examined the sea with the most careful attention. They sawnothing but a strong eddy about three cables' length distant, as if thesurface ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 10

had been violently agitated. The bearings of the place were taken exactly,and the Moravian continued its route without apparent damage. Had it struckon a submerged rock, or on an enormous wreck? They could not tell; but, on

examination of the ship's bottom when undergoing repairs, it was found thatpart of her keel was broken.

This fact, so grave in itself, might perhaps have been forgotten likemany others if, three weeks after, it had not been re-enacted under similarcircumstances. But, thanks to the nationality of the victim of the shock,thanks to the reputation of the company to which the vessel belonged, thecircumstance became extensively circulated.

The 13th of April, 1867, the sea being beautiful, the breeze



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Chapter 1.2

PRO AND CON

AT THE period when these events took place, I had just returned from ascientific research in the disagreeable territory ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 12

of Nebraska, in the United States. In virtue of my office as AssistantProfessor in the Museum of Natural History in Paris, the French Governmenthad attached me to that expedition. After six months in Nebraska, I arrivedin New York towards the end of March, laden with a precious collection. Mydeparture for France was fixed for the first days in May. Meanwhile I wasoccupying myself in classifying my mineralogical, botanical, and zoologicalriches, when the accident happened to the Scotia.

I was perfectly up in the subject which was the question of the day.How could I be otherwise? I had read and reread all the American andEuropean papers without being any nearer a conclusion. This mystery puzzledme. Under the impossibility of forming an opinion, I jumped from oneextreme to the other. That there really was something could not be doubted,

and the incredulous were invited to put their finger on the wound of theScotia.

On my arrival at New York the question was at its height. The theoryof the floating island, and the unapproachable sandbank, supported by mindslittle competent to form a judgment, was abandoned. And, indeed, unlessthis shoal had a machine in its stomach, how could it change its positionwith such astonishing rapidity?

From the same cause, the idea of a floating hull of an enormous wreckwas given up.

There remained, then, only two possible solutions of the question,

which created two distinct parties: on one side, those who were for amonster of colossal strength; on the other, those who were for a submarinevessel of enormous motive power.

But this last theory, plausible as it was, could not stand againstinquiries made in both worlds. That a private gentleman should have such amachine at his command was not likely. Where, when, and how was it built?and how could its construction have been kept secret? Certainly aGovernment might possess such a destructive machine. And in thesedisastrous times, when the ingenuity of man has multiplied the power ofweapons of war, it was possible that, without the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 13

knowledge of others, a State might try to work such a formidable engine.

But the idea of a war machine fell before the declaration ofGovernments. As public interest was in question, and transatlanticcommunications suffered, their veracity could not be doubted. But how admitthat the construction of this submarine boat had escaped the public eye?For a private gentleman to keep the secret under such circumstances wouldbe very difficult, and for a State whose every act is persistently watchedby powerful rivals, certainly impossible.



Upon my arrival in New York several persons did me the honour ofconsulting me on the phenomenon in question. I had published in France awork in quarto, in two volumes, entitled Mysteries of the Great SubmarineGrounds. This book, highly approved of in the learned world, gained for mea special reputation in this rather obscure branch of Natural History. Myadvice was asked. As long as I could deny the reality of the fact, Iconfined myself to a decided negative. But soon, finding myself driven intoa corner, I was obliged to explain myself point by point. I discussed thequestion in all its forms, politically and scientifically; and I give herean extract from a carefully-studied article which I published in the numberof the 30th of April. It ran as follows:

"After examining one by one the different theories, rejecting allother suggestions, it becomes necessary to admit the existence of a marineanimal of enormous power.

"The great depths of the ocean are entirely unknown to us. Soundingscannot reach them. What passes in those remote depths -- what beings live,or can live, twelve or fifteen miles beneath the surface of the waters --what is the organisation of these animals, we can scarcely conjecture.However, the solution of the problem submitted to me may modify the form ofthe dilemma. Either we do know all the varieties of beings which people ourplanet, or we do not. If we do not know them all -- if Nature has still

secrets in the deeps for us, nothing is more conformable to reason than toadmit the existence of fishes, or cetaceans of other kinds, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 14

or even of new species, of an organisation formed to inhabit the stratainaccessible to soundings, and which an accident of some sort has broughtat long intervals to the upper level of the ocean.

"If, on the contrary, we do know all living kinds, we must necessarilyseek for the animal in question amongst those marine beings alreadyclassed; and, in that case, I should be disposed to admit the existence ofa gigantic narwhal.

"The common narwhal, or unicorn of the sea, often attains a length ofsixty feet. Increase its size fivefold or tenfold, give it strengthproportionate to its size, lengthen its destructive weapons, and you obtainthe animal required. It will have the proportions determined by theofficers of the Shannon, the instrument required by the perforation of theScotia, and the power necessary to pierce the hull of the steamer.

"Indeed, the narwhal is armed with a sort of ivory sword, a halberd,according to the expression of certain naturalists. The principal tusk hasthe hardness of steel. Some of these tusks have been found buried in thebodies of whales, which the unicorn always attacks with success. Othershave been drawn out, not without trouble, from the bottoms of ships, which

they bad pierced through and through, as a gimlet pierces a barrel. TheMuseum of the Faculty of Medicine of Paris possesses one of these defensiveweapons, two yards and a quarter in length, and fifteen inches in diameterat the base.

"Very well! suppose this weapon to be six times stronger and theanimal ten times more powerful; launch it at the rate of twenty miles anhour, and you obtain a shock capable of producing the catastrophe required.Until further information, therefore, I shall maintain it to be asea-unicorn of colossal dimensions, armed not with a halberd, but with a



real spur, as the armoured frigates, or the 'rams' of war, whosemassiveness and motive power it would possess at the same time. Thus maythis puzzling phenomenon be explained, unless there be something over andabove all that one has ever conjectured, seen, perceived, or experienced;which is just within the bounds of possibility." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 15

These last words were cowardly on my part; but, up to a certain point,I wished to shelter my dignity as professor, and not give too much causefor laughter to the Americans, who laugh well when they do laugh. Ireserved for myself a way of escape. In effect, however, I admitted theexistence of the "monster." My article was warmly discussed, which procuredit a high reputation. It rallied round it a certain number of partisans.The solution it proposed gave, at least, full liberty to the imagination.The human mind delights in grand conceptions of supernatural beings. Andthe sea is precisely their best vehicle, the only medium through whichthese giants (against which terrestrial animals, such as elephants orrhinoceroses, are as nothing) can be produced or developed.

The industrial and commercial papers treated the question chiefly fromthis point of view. The Shipping and Mercantile Gazette, the Lloyd's List,the Packet-Boat, and the Maritime and Colonial Review, all papers devotedto insurance companies which threatened to raise their rates of premium,

were unanimous on this point. Public opinion had been pronounced. TheUnited States were the first in the field; and in New York they madepreparations for an expedition destined to pursue this narwhal. A frigateof great speed, the Abraham Lincoln, was put in commission as soon aspossible. The arsenals were opened to Commander Farragut, who hastened thearming of his frigate; but, as it always happens, the moment it was decidedto pursue the monster, the monster did not appear. For two months no oneheard it spoken of. No ship met with it. It seemed as if this unicorn knewof the plots weaving around it. It had been so much talked of, even throughthe Atlantic cable, that jesters pretended that this slender fly hadstopped a telegram on its passage and was making the most of it.

So when the frigate had been armed for a long campaign, and provided

with formidable fishing apparatus, no one could tell what course to pursue.Impatience grew apace, when, on the 2nd of July, they learned that asteamer of the line of San Francisco, from California to Shanghai, had ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 16

seen the animal three weeks before in the North Pacific Ocean. Theexcitement caused by this news was extreme. The ship was revictualled andwell stocked with coal.

Three hours before the Abraham Lincoln left Brooklyn pier, I receiveda letter worded as follows: To M. ARONNAX,Professor in the Museum of Paris,

Fifth Avenue Hotel,New York.

SIR, -- If you will consent to join the Abraham Lincoln in thisexpedition, the Government of the United States will with pleasure seeFrance represented in the enterprise. Commander Farragut has a cabin atyour disposal. Very cordially yours,J.B. HOBSON,Secretary of Marine.



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Chapter 1.3

I FORM MY RESOLUTION

THREE seconds before the arrival of J. B. Hobson's letter I no morethought of pursuing the unicorn than of attempting the passage of the NorthSea. Three seconds after reading the letter of the honourable Secretary ofMarine, I felt that my true vocation, the sole end of my life, was to chasethis disturbing monster and purge it from the world.

But I had just returned from a fatiguing journey, weary and longingfor repose. I aspired to nothing more than again seeing my country, myfriends, my little lodging by the Jardin des Plantes, my dear and preciouscollections -- but nothing could keep me back! I forgot all -- fatigue,friends and collections -- and accepted without hesitation the offer of theAmerican Government.

"Besides," thought I, "all roads lead back to Europe; and the unicornmay be amiable enough to hurry me towards the coast of France. This worthyanimal may allow ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 17

itself to be caught in the seas of Europe (for my particular benefit), andI will not bring back less than half a yard of his ivory halberd to theMuseum of Natural History." But in the meanwhile I must seek this narwhalin the North Pacific Ocean, which, to return to France, was taking the roadto the antipodes.

"Conseil," I called in an impatient voice.

Conseil was my servant, a true, devoted Flemish boy, who hadaccompanied me in all my travels. I liked him, and he returned the likingwell. He was quiet by nature, regular from principle, zealous from habit,evincing little disturbance at the different surprises of life, very quick

with his hands, and apt at any service required of him; and, despite hisname, never giving advice -- even when asked for it.

Conseil had followed me for the last ten years wherever science led.Never once did he complain of the length or fatigue of a journey, nevermake an objection to pack his portmanteau for whatever country it might be,or however far away, whether China or Congo. Besides all this, he had goodhealth, which defied all sickness, and solid muscles, but no nerves; goodmorals are understood. This boy was thirty years old, and his age to thatof his master as fifteen to twenty. May I be excused for saying that I wasforty years old?

But Conseil had one fault: he was ceremonious to a degree, and would

never speak to me but in the third person, which was sometimes provoking.

"Conseil," said I again, beginning with feverish hands to makepreparations for my departure.

Certainly I was sure of this devoted boy. As a rule, I never asked himif it were convenient for him or not to follow me in my travels; but thistime the expedition in question might be prolonged, and the enterprisemight be hazardous in pursuit of an animal capable of sinking a frigate aseasily as a nutshell. Here there was matter for reflection even to the most



impassive man in the world. What would Conseil say?

"Conseil," I called a third time.

Conseil appeared. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 18

"Did you call, sir?" said he, entering.

"Yes, my boy; make preparations for me and yourself too. We leave intwo hours."

"As you please, sir," replied Conseil, quietly.

"Not an instant to lose; lock in my trunk all travelling utensils,coats, shirts, and stockings -- without counting, as many as you can, andmake haste."

"And your collections, sir?" observed Conseil.

"They will keep them at the hotel."

"We are not returning to Paris, then?" said Conseil.

"Oh! certainly," I answered, evasively, "by making a curve."

"Will the curve please you, sir?"

"Oh! it will be nothing; not quite so direct a road, that is all. Wetake our passage in the Abraham, Lincoln."

"As you think proper, sir," coolly replied Conseil.

"You see, my friend, it has to do with the monster -- the famousnarwhal. We are going to purge it from the seas. A glorious mission, but adangerous one! We cannot tell where we may go; these animals can be very

capricious. But we will go whether or no; we have got a captain who ispretty wide-awake."

Our luggage was transported to the deck of the frigate immediately. Ihastened on board and asked for Commander Farragut. One of the sailorsconducted me to the poop, where I found myself in the presence of agood-looking officer, who held out his hand to me.

"Monsieur Pierre Aronnax?" said he.

"Himself," replied I. "Commander Farragut?"

"You are welcome, Professor; your cabin is ready for you."

I bowed, and desired to be conducted to the cabin destined for me.

The Abraham Lincoln had been well chosen and equipped for her newdestination. She was a frigate of great speed, fitted with high-pressureengines which admitted a pressure of seven atmospheres. Under this theAbraham Lincoln attained the mean speed of nearly eighteen knots and athird ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 19



an hour -- a considerable speed, but, nevertheless, insufficient to grapplewith this gigantic cetacean.

The interior arrangements of the frigate corresponded to its nauticalqualities. I was well satisfied with my cabin, which was in the after part,opening upon the gunroom.

"We shall be well off here," said I to Conseil.

"As well, by your honour's leave, as a hermit-crab in the shell of awhelk," said Conseil.

I left Conseil to stow our trunks conveniently away, and remounted thepoop in order to survey the preparations for departure.

At that moment Commander Farragut was ordering the last moorings to becast loose which held the Abraham Lincoln to the pier of Brooklyn. So in aquarter of an hour, perhaps less, the frigate would have sailed without me.I should have missed this extraordinary, supernatural, and incredibleexpedition, the recital of which may well meet with some suspicion.

But Commander Farragut would not lose a day nor an hour in scouringthe seas in which the animal had been sighted. He sent for the engineer.

"Is the steam full on?" asked he.

"Yes, sir," replied the engineer.

"Go ahead," cried Commander Farragut.

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Chapter 1.4

NED LAND

CAPTAIN FARRAGUT was a good seaman, worthy of the frigate hecommanded. His vessel and he were one. He was the soul of it. On thequestion of the monster there was no doubt in his mind, and he would notallow the existence of the animal to be disputed on board. He believed init, as certain good women believe in the leviathan -- by faith, not byreason. The monster did exist, and he had sworn to rid the seas of it.Either Captain Farragut would kill the narwhal, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 20

or the narwhal would kill the captain. There was no third course.

The officers on board shared the opinion of their chief. They were

ever chatting, discussing, and calculating the various chances of ameeting, watching narrowly the vast surface of the ocean. More than onetook up his quarters voluntarily in the cross-trees, who would have cursedsuch a berth under any other circumstances. As long as the sun describedits daily course, the rigging was crowded with sailors, whose feet wereburnt to such an extent by the heat of the deck as to render it unbearable;still the Abraham Lincoln had not yet breasted the suspected waters of thePacific. As to the ship's company, they desired nothing better than to meetthe unicorn, to harpoon it, hoist it on board, and despatch it. Theywatched the sea with eager attention.



Besides, Captain Farragut had spoken of a certain sum of two thousanddollars, set apart for whoever should first sight the monster, were hecabin-boy, common seaman, or officer.

I leave you to judge how eyes were used on board the Abraham Lincoln.

For my own part I was not behind the others, and, left to no one myshare of daily observations. The frigate might have been called the Argus,for a hundred reasons. Only one amongst us, Conseil, seemed to protest byhis indifference against the question which so interested us all, andseemed to be out of keeping with the general enthusiasm on board.

I have said that Captain Farragut had carefully provided his ship withevery apparatus for catching the gigantic cetacean. No whaler had ever beenbetter armed. We possessed every known engine, from the harpoon thrown bythe hand to the barbed arrows of the blunderbuss, and the explosive ballsof the duck-gun. On the forecastle lay the perfection of a breech-loadinggun, very thick at the breech, and very narrow in the bore, the model ofwhich had been in the Exhibition of 1867. This precious weapon of American ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 21

origin could throw with ease a conical projectile of nine pounds to a mean

distance of ten miles.

Thus the Abraham Lincoln wanted for no means of destruction; and, whatwas better still she had on board Ned Land, the prince of harpooners.

Ned Land was a Canadian, with an uncommon quickness of hand, and whoknew no equal in his dangerous occupation. Skill, coolness, audacity, andcunning he possessed in a superior degree, and it must be a cunning whaleto escape the stroke of his harpoon.

Ned Land was about forty years of age; he was a tall man (more thansix feet high), strongly built, grave and taciturn, occasionally violent,and very passionate when contradicted. His person attracted attention, but

above all the boldness of his look, which gave a singular expression to hisface.

Who calls himself Canadian calls himself French; and, littlecommunicative as Ned Land was, I must admit that he took a certain likingfor me. My nationality drew him to me, no doubt. It was an opportunity forhim to talk, and for me to hear, that old language of Rabelais, which isstill in use in some Canadian provinces. The harpooner's family wasoriginally from Quebec, and was already a tribe of hardy fishermen whenthis town belonged to France.

Little by little, Ned Land acquired a taste for chatting, and I lovedto hear the recital of his adventures in the polar seas. He related his

fishing, and his combats, with natural poetry of expression; his recitaltook the form of an epic poem, and I seemed to be listening to a CanadianHomer singing the Iliad of the regions of the North.

I am portraying this hardy companion as I really knew him. We are oldfriends now, united in that unchangeable friendship which is born andcemented amidst extreme dangers. Ah, brave Ned! I ask no more than to livea hundred years longer, that I may have more time to dwell the longer onyour memory.



Now, what was Ned Land's opinion upon the question of the marinemonster? I must admit that he did not believe in the unicorn, and was theonly one on board who did not share ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 22

that universal conviction. He even avoided the subject, which I one daythought it my duty to press upon him. One magnificent evening, the 30thJuly (that is to say, three weeks after our departure), the frigate wasabreast of Cape Blanc, thirty miles to leeward of the coast of Patagonia.We had crossed the tropic of Capricorn, and the Straits of Magellan openedless than seven hundred miles to the south. Before eight days were over theAbraham Lincoln would be ploughing the waters of the Pacific.

Seated on the poop, Ned Land and I were chatting of one thing andanother as we looked at this mysterious sea, whose great depths had up tothis time been inaccessible to the eye of man. I naturally led up theconversation to the giant unicorn, and examined the various chances ofsuccess or failure of the expedition. But, seeing that Ned Land let mespeak without saying too much himself, I pressed him more closely.

"Well, Ned," said I, "is it possible that you are not convinced of theexistence of this cetacean that we are following? Have you any particularreason for being so incredulous?"

The harpooner looked at me fixedly for some moments before answering,struck his broad forehead with his hand (a habit of his), as if to collecthimself, and said at last, "Perhaps I have, Mr. Aronnax."

"But, Ned, you, a whaler by profession, familiarised with all thegreat marine mammalia -- you ought to be the last to doubt under suchcircumstances!"

"That is just what deceives you, Professor," replied Ned. "As a whalerI have followed many a cetacean, harpooned a great number, and killedseveral; but, however strong or well-armed they may have been, neithertheir tails nor their weapons would have been able even to scratch the iron

plates of a steamer."

"But, Ned, they tell of ships which the teeth of the narwhal havepierced through and through."

"Wooden ships -- that is possible," replied the Canadian, "but I havenever seen it done; and, until further proof, I ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 23

deny that whales, cetaceans, or sea-unicorns could ever produce the effectyou describe."

"Well, Ned, I repeat it with a conviction resting on the logic offacts. I believe in the existence of a mammal powerfully organised,belonging to the branch of vertebrata, like the whales, the cachalots, orthe dolphins, and furnished with a horn of defence of great penetratingpower."

"Hum!" said the harpooner, shaking his head with the air of a man whowould not be convinced.

"Notice one thing, my worthy Canadian," I resumed. "If such an animal



is in existence, if it inhabits the depths of the ocean, if it frequentsthe strata lying miles below the surface of the water, it must necessarilypossess an organisation the strength of which would defy all comparison."

"And why this powerful organisation?" demanded Ned.

"Because it requires incalculable strength to keep one's self in thesestrata and resist their pressure. Listen to me. Let us admit that thepressure of the atmosphere is represented by the weight of a column ofwater thirty-two feet high. In reality the column of water would beshorter, as we are speaking of sea water, the density of which is greaterthan that of fresh water. Very well, when you dive, Ned, as many times 32feet of water as there are above you, so many times does your body bear apressure equal to that of the atmosphere, that is to say, 15 lb. for eachsquare inch of its surface. It follows, then, that at 320 feet thispressure equals that of 10 atmospheres, of 100 atmospheres at 3,200 feet,and of 1,000 atmospheres at 32,000 feet, that is, about 6 miles; which isequivalent to saying that if you could attain this depth in the ocean, eachsquare three-eighths of an inch of the surface of your body would bear apressure of 5,600 lb. Ah! my brave Ned, do you know how many square inchesyou carry on the surface of your body?"

"I have no idea, Mr. Aronnax."

"About 6,500; and as in reality the atmospheric pressure is about 15lb. to the square inch, your 6,500 square inches bear at this moment apressure of 97,500 lb."

"Without my perceiving it?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 24

"Without your perceiving it. And if you are not crushed by such apressure, it is because the air penetrates the interior of your body withequal pressure. Hence perfect equilibrium between the interior and exteriorpressure, which thus neutralise each other, and which allows you to bear itwithout inconvenience. But in the water it is another thing."

"Yes, I understand," replied Ned, becoming more attentive; "becausethe water surrounds me, but does not penetrate."

"Precisely, Ned: so that at 32 feet beneath the surface of the sea youwould undergo a pressure of 97,500 lb.; at 320 feet, ten times thatpressure; at 3,200 feet, a hundred times that pressure; lastly, at 32,000feet, a thousand times that pressure would be 97,500,000 lb. -- that is tosay, that you would be flattened as if you had been drawn from the platesof a hydraulic machine!"

"The devil!" exclaimed Ned.

"Very well, my worthy harpooner, if some vertebrate, several hundredyards long, and large in proportion, can maintain itself in such depths --of those whose surface is represented by millions of square inches, that isby tens of millions of pounds, we must estimate the pressure they undergo.Consider, then, what must be the resistance of their bony structure, andthe strength of their organisation to withstand such pressure!"

"Why!" exclaimed Ned Land, "they must be made of iron plates eightinches thick, like the armoured frigates."



"As you say, Ned. And think what destruction such a mass would cause,if hurled with the speed of an express train against the hull of a vessel."

"Yes -- certainly -- perhaps," replied the Canadian, shaken by thesefigures, but not yet willing to give in.

"Well, have I convinced you?"

"You have convinced me of one thing, sir, which is that, if suchanimals do exist at the bottom of the seas, they must necessarily be asstrong as you say."

"But if they do not exist, mine obstinate harpooner, how explain theaccident to the Scotia?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 25

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.5

AT A VENTURE

THE voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was for a long time marked by nospecial incident. But one circumstance happened which showed the wonderfuldexterity of Ned Land, and proved what confidence we might place in him.

The 30th of June, the frigate spoke some American whalers, from whomwe learned that they knew nothing about the narwhal. But one of them, thecaptain of the Monroe, knowing that Ned Land had shipped on board theAbraham Lincoln, begged for his help in chasing a whale they had in sight.Commander Farragut, desirous of seeing Ned Land at work, gave himpermission to go on board the Monroe. And fate served our Canadian so wellthat, instead of one whale, he harpooned two with a double blow, strikingone straight to the heart, and catching the other after some minutes'pursuit.

Decidedly, if the monster ever had to do with Ned Land's harpoon, Iwould not bet in its favour.

The frigate skirted the south-east coast of America with greatrapidity. The 3rd of July we were at the opening of the Straits ofMagellan, level with Cape Vierges. But Commander Farragut would not take atortuous passage, but doubled Cape Horn.

The ship's crew agreed with him. And certainly it was possible thatthey might meet the narwhal in this narrow pass. Many of the sailorsaffirmed that the monster could not pass there, "that he was too big forthat!"

The 6th of July, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the AbrahamLincoln, at fifteen miles to the south, doubled the solitary island, thislost rock at the extremity of the American continent, to which some Dutchsailors gave the name of their native town, Cape Horn. The course was takentowards the north-west, and the next day the screw of the frigate was atlast beating the waters of the Pacific.

"Keep your eyes open!" called out the sailors.



And they were opened widely. Both eyes and glasses, a ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 26

little dazzled, it is true, by the prospect of two thousand dollars, hadnot an instant's repose.

I myself, for whom money had no charms, was not the least attentive onboard. Giving but few minutes to my meals, but a few hours to sleep,indifferent to either rain or sunshine, I did not leave the poop of thevessel. Now leaning on the netting of the forecastle, now on the taffrail,I devoured with eagerness the soft foam which whitened the sea as far asthe eye could reach; and how often have I shared the emotion of themajority of the crew, when some capricious whale raised its black backabove the waves! The poop of the vessel was crowded on a moment. The cabinspoured forth a torrent of sailors and officers, each with heaving breastand troubled eye watching the course of the cetacean. I looked and lookedtill I was nearly blind, whilst Conseil kept repeating in a calm voice:

"If, sir, you would not squint so much, you would see better!"

But vain excitement! The Abraham Lincoln checked its speed and madefor the animal signalled, a simple whale, or common cachalot, which soondisappeared amidst a storm of abuse.

But the weather was good. The voyage was being accomplished under themost favourable auspices. It was then the bad season in Australia, the Julyof that zone corresponding to our January in Europe, but the sea wasbeautiful and easily scanned round a vast circumference.

The 20th of July, the tropic of Capricorn was cut by 105° oflongitude, and the 27th of the same month we crossed the Equator on the110th meridian. This passed, the frigate took a more decided westerlydirection, and scoured the central waters of the Pacific. CommanderFarragut thought, and with reason, that it was better to remain in deepwater, and keep clear of continents or islands, which the beast itselfseemed to shun (perhaps because there was not enough water for him!

suggested the greater part of the crew). The frigate passed at somedistance from the Marquesas and the Sandwich Islands, crossed the tropic ofCancer, and made for the China Seas. We were on the theatre of the lastdiversions ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 27

of the monster: and, to say truth, we no longer lived on board. The entireship's crew were undergoing a nervous excitement, of which I can give noidea: they could not eat, they could not sleep -- twenty times a day, amisconception or an optical illusion of some sailor seated on the taffrail, would cause dreadful perspirations, and these emotions, twenty timesrepeated, kept us in a state of excitement so violent that a reaction was

unavoidable.

And truly, reaction soon showed itself. For three months, during whicha day seemed an age, the Abraham Lincoln furrowed all the waters of theNorthern Pacific, running at whales, making sharp deviations from hercourse, veering suddenly from one tack to another, stopping suddenly,putting on steam, and backing ever and anon at the risk of deranging hermachinery, and not one point of the Japanese or American coast was leftunexplored.



The warmest partisans of the enterprise now became its most ardentdetractors. Reaction mounted from the crew to the captain himself, andcertainly, had it not been for the resolute determination on the part ofCaptain Farragut, the frigate would have headed due southward. This uselesssearch could not last much longer. The Abraham Lincoln had nothing toreproach herself with, she had done her best to succeed. Never had anAmerican ship's crew shown more zeal or patience; its failure could not beplaced to their charge -- there remained nothing but to return.

This was represented to the commander. The sailors could not hidetheir discontent, and the service suffered. I will not say there was amutiny on board, but after a reasonable period of obstinacy, CaptainFarragut (as Columbus did) asked for three days' patience. If in three daysthe monster did not appear, the man at the helm should give three turns ofthe wheel, and the Abraham Lincoln would make for the European seas.

This promise was made on the 2nd of November. It had the effect ofrallying the ship's crew. The ocean was watched with renewed attention.Each one wished for a last glance in which to sum up his remembrance.Glasses were used with feverish activity. It was a grand defiance given tothe giant ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 28

narwhal, and he could scarcely fail to answer the summons and "appear."

Two days passed, the steam was at half pressure; a thousand schemeswere tried to attract the attention and stimulate the apathy of the animalin case it should be met in those parts. Large quantities of bacon weretrailed in the wake of the ship, to the great satisfaction (I must say) ofthe sharks. Small craft radiated in all directions round the AbrahamLincoln as she lay to, and did not leave a spot of the sea unexplored. Butthe night of the 4th of November arrived without the unveiling of thissubmarine mystery.

The next day, the 5th of November, at twelve, the delay would (morallyspeaking) expire; after that time, Commander Farragut, faithful to his

promise, was to turn the course to the south-east and abandon for ever thenorthern regions of the Pacific.

The frigate was then in 31° 15' N. lat. and 136° 42' E. long. Thecoast of Japan still remained less than two hundred miles to leeward. Nightwas approaching. They had just struck eight bells; large clouds veiled theface of the moon, then in its first quarter. The sea undulated peaceablyunder the stern of the vessel.

At that moment I was leaning forward on the starboard netting.Conseil, standing near me, was looking straight before him. The crew,perched in the ratlines, examined the horizon which contracted and darkenedby degrees. Officers with their night glasses scoured the growing darkness:

sometimes the ocean sparkled under the rays of the moon, which dartedbetween two clouds, then all trace of light was lost in the darkness.

In looking at Conseil, I could see he was undergoing a little of thegeneral influence. At least I thought so. Perhaps for the first time hisnerves vibrated to a sentiment of curiosity.

"Come, Conseil," said I, "this is the last chance of pocketing the twothousand dollars."



"May I be permitted to say, sir," replied Conseil, "that I neverreckoned on getting the prize; and, had the government ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 29

of the Union offered a hundred thousand dollars, it would have been nonethe poorer."

"You are right, Conseil. It is a foolish affair after all, and oneupon which we entered too lightly. What time lost, what useless emotions!We should have been back in France six months ago."

"In your little room, sir," replied Conseil, "and in your museum, sir;and I should have already classed all your fossils, sir. And the Babiroussawould have been installed in its cage in the Jardin des Plantes, and havedrawn all the curious people of the capital!"

"As you say, Conseil. I fancy we shall run a fair chance of beinglaughed at for our pains."

"That's tolerably certain," replied Conseil, quietly; "I think theywill make fun of you, sir. And, must I say it -- ?"

"Go on, my good friend."

"Well, sir, you will only get your deserts."

"Indeed!"

"When one has the honour of being a savant as you are, sir, one shouldnot expose one's self to -- "

Conseil had not time to finish his compliment. In the midst of generalsilence a voice had just been heard. It was the voice of Ned Land shouting:

"Look out there! The very thing we are looking for -- on our weatherbeam!"

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.6

AT FULL STEAM

AT THIS cry the whole ship's crew hurried towards the harpooner --commander, officers, masters, sailors, cabin- boys; even the engineers lefttheir engines, and the stokers their furnaces.

The order to stop her had been given, and the frigate now simply wenton by her own momentum. The darkness was then profound, and, however good

the Canadian's eyes ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 30

were, I asked myself how he had managed to see, and what he had been ableto see. My heart beat as if it would break. But Ned Land was not mistaken,and we all perceived the object he pointed to. At two cables' length fromthe Abraham Lincoln, on the starboard quarter, the sea seemed to beilluminated all over. It was not a mere phosphoric phenomenon. The monsteremerged some fathoms from the water, and then threw out that very intense



but mysterious light mentioned in the report of several captains. Thismagnificent irradiation must have been produced by an agent of greatshining power. The luminous part traced on the sea an immense oval, muchelongated, the centre of which condensed a burning heat, whose overpoweringbrilliancy died out by successive gradations.

"It is only a massing of phosphoric particles," cried one of theofficers.

"No, sir, certainly not," I replied. "That brightness is of anessentially electrical nature. Besides, see, see! it moves; it is movingforwards, backwards; it is darting towards us!"

A general cry arose from the frigate.

"Silence!" said the captain. "Up with the helm, reverse the engines."

The steam was shut off, and the Abraham Lincoln, beating to port,described a semicircle.

"Right the helm, go ahead," cried the captain.

These orders were executed, and the frigate moved rapidly from theburning light.

I was mistaken. She tried to sheer off, but the supernatural animalapproached with a velocity double her own.

We gasped for breath. Stupefaction more than fear made us dumb andmotionless. The animal gained on us, sporting with the waves. It made theround of the frigate, which was then making fourteen knots, and envelopedit with its electric rings like luminous dust.

Then it moved away two or three miles, leaving a phosphorescent track,like those volumes of steam that the express trains leave behind. All atonce from the dark line of the horizon whither it retired to gain itsmomentum, the monster rushed suddenly towards the Abraham Lincoln with

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 31

alarming rapidity, stopped suddenly about twenty feet from the hull, anddied out -- not diving under the water, for its brilliancy did not abate --but suddenly, and as if the source of this brilliant emanation wasexhausted. Then it reappeared on the other side of the vessel, as if ithad turned and slid under the hull. Any moment a collision might haveoccurred which would have been fatal to us. However, I was astonished atthe manoeuvres of the frigate. She fled and did not attack.

On the captain's face, generally so impassive, was an expression ofunaccountable astonishment.

"Mr. Aronnax," he said, "I do not know with what formidable being Ihave to deal, and I will not imprudently risk my frigate in the midst ofthis darkness. Besides, how attack this unknown thing, how defend one'sself from it? Wait for daylight, and the scene will change."

"You have no further doubt, captain, of the nature of the animal?"

"No, sir; it is evidently a gigantic narwhal, and an electric one."



"Perhaps," added I, "one can only approach it with a torpedo."

"Undoubtedly," replied the captain, "if it possesses such dreadfulpower, it is the most terrible animal that ever was created. That is why,sir, I must be on my guard."

The crew were on their feet all night. No one thought of sleep. TheAbraham Lincoln, not being able to struggle with such velocity, hadmoderated its pace, and sailed at half speed. For its part, the narwhal,imitating the frigate, let the waves rock it at will, and seemed decidednot to leave the scene of the struggle. Towards midnight, however, itdisappeared, or, to use a more appropriate term, it "died out" like a largeglow-worm. Had it fled? One could only fear, not hope it. But at sevenminutes to one o'clock in the morning a deafening whistling was heard, likethat produced by a body of water rushing with great violence.

The captain, Ned Land, and I were then on the poop, eagerly peeringthrough the profound darkness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 32

"Ned Land," asked the commander, "you have often heard the roaring ofwhales?"

"Often, sir; but never such whales the sight of which brought me intwo thousand dollars. If I can only approach within four harpoons' lengthof it!"

"But to approach it," said the commander, "I ought to put a whaler atyour disposal?"

"Certainly, sir."

"That will be trifling with the lives of my men."

"And mine too," simply said the harpooner.

Towards two o'clock in the morning, the burning light reappeared, notless intense, about five miles to windward of the Abraham Lincoln.Notwithstanding the distance, and the noise of the wind and sea, one hearddistinctly the loud strokes of the animal's tail, and even its pantingbreath. It seemed that, at the moment that the enormous narwhal had come totake breath at the surface of the water, the air was engulfed in its lungs,like the steam in the vast cylinders of a machine of two thousandhorse-power.

"Hum!" thought I, "a whale with the strength of a cavalry regimentwould be a pretty whale!"

We were on the qui vive till daylight, and prepared for the combat.

The fishing implements were laid along the hammock nettings. The secondlieutenant loaded the blunder- busses, which could throw harpoons to thedistance of a mile, and long duck-guns, with explosive bullets, whichinflicted mortal wounds even to the most terrible animals. Ned Landcontented himself with sharpening his harpoon -- a terrible weapon in hishands.

At six o'clock day began to break; and, with the first glimmer oflight, the electric light of the narwhal disappeared. At seven o'clock theday was sufficiently advanced, but a very thick sea fog obscured our view,



and the best spy- glasses could not pierce it. That caused disappointmentand anger.

I climbed the mizzen-mast. Some officers were already perched on themast-heads. At eight o'clock the fog lay heavily on the waves, and itsthick scrolls rose little by little. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 33

The horizon grew wider and clearer at the same time. Suddenly, just as onthe day before, Ned Land's voice was heard:

"The thing itself on the port quarter!" cried the harpooner.

Every eye was turned towards the point indicated. There, a mile and ahalf from the frigate, a long blackish body emerged a yard above the waves.Its tail, violently agitated, produced a considerable eddy. Never did atail beat the sea with such violence. An immense track, of dazzlingwhiteness, marked the passage of the animal, and described a long curve.

The frigate approached the cetacean. I examined it thoroughly.

The reports of the Shannon and of the Helvetia had rather exaggeratedits size, and I estimated its length at only two hundred and fifty feet. As

to its dimensions, I could only conjecture them to be admirablyproportioned. While I watched this phenomenon, two jets of steam and waterwere ejected from its vents, and rose to the height of 120 feet; thus Iascertained its way of breathing. I concluded definitely that it belongedto the vertebrate branch, class mammalia.

The crew waited impatiently for their chief's orders. The latter,after having observed the animal attentively, called the engineer. Theengineer ran to him.

"Sir," said the commander, "you have steam up?"

"Yes, sir," answered the engineer.

"Well, make up your fires and put on all steam."

Three hurrahs greeted this order. The time for the struggle hadarrived. Some moments after, the two funnels of the frigate vomitedtorrents of black smoke, and the bridge quaked under the trembling of theboilers.

The Abraham Lincoln, propelled by her wonderful screw, went straightat the animal. The latter allowed it to come within half a cable's length;then, as if disdaining to dive, it took a little turn, and stopped a shortdistance off.

This pursuit lasted nearly three-quarters of an hour, without thefrigate gaining two yards on the cetacean. it ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 34

was quite evident that at that rate we should never come up with it.

"Well, Mr. Land," asked the captain, "do you advise me to put theboats out to sea?"



in the other, scarcely twenty feet from the motionless animal. Suddenly hisarm straightened, and the harpoon was thrown; I heard the sonorous strokeof the weapon, which seemed to have struck a hard body. The electric lightwent out suddenly, and two enormous waterspouts broke over the bridge ofthe frigate, rushing like a torrent from stem to stern, overthrowing men,and breaking the lashings of the spars. A fearful shock followed, and,thrown over the rail without having time to stop myself, I fell into thesea.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.7

AN UNKNOWN SPECIES OF WHALE

THIS unexpected fall so stunned me that I have no clear recollectionof my sensations at the time. I was at first drawn down to a depth of abouttwenty feet. I am a good swimmer ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 37

(though without pretending to rival Byron or Edgar Poe, who were masters ofthe art), and in that plunge I did not lose my presence of mind. Twovigorous strokes brought me to the surface of the water. My first care was

to look for the frigate. Had the crew seen me disappear? Had the AbrahamLincoln veered round? Would the captain put out a boat? Might I hope to besaved?

The darkness was intense. I caught a glimpse of a black massdisappearing in the east, its beacon lights dying out in the distance. Itwas the frigate! I was lost.

"Help, help!" I shouted, swimming towards the Abraham Lincoln indesperation.

My clothes encumbered me; they seemed glued to my body, and paralysedmy movements.

I was sinking! I was suffocating!

"Help!"

This was my last cry. My mouth filled with water; I struggled againstbeing drawn down the abyss. Suddenly my clothes were seized by a stronghand, and I felt myself quickly drawn up to the surface of the sea; and Iheard, yes, I heard these words pronounced in my ear:

"If master would be so good as to lean on my shoulder, master wouldswim with much greater ease."

I seized with one hand my faithful Conseil's arm.

"Is it you?" said I, "you?"

"Myself," answered Conseil; "and waiting master's orders."

"That shock threw you as well as me into the sea?"

"No; but, being in my master's service, I followed him."



The worthy fellow thought that was but natural.

"And the frigate?" I asked.

"The frigate?" replied Conseil, turning on his back; "I think thatmaster had better not count too much on her."

"You think so?"

"I say that, at the time I threw myself into the sea, I heard the menat the wheel say, 'The screw and the rudder are broken.'

"Broken?"

"Yes, broken by the monster's teeth. It is the only injury ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 38

the Abraham Lincoln has sustained. But it is a bad look-out for us -- sheno longer answers her helm."

"Then we are lost!"

"Perhaps so," calmly answered Conseil. "However, we have still several

hours before us, and one can do a good deal in some hours."

Conseil's imperturbable coolness set me up again. I swam morevigorously; but, cramped by my clothes, which stuck to me like a leadenweight, I felt great difficulty in bearing up. Conseil saw this.

"Will master let me make a slit?" said he; and, slipping an open knifeunder my clothes, he ripped them up from top to bottom very rapidly. Thenhe cleverly slipped them off me, while I swam for both of us.

Then I did the same for Conseil, and we continued to swim near to eachother.

Nevertheless, our situation was no less terrible. Perhaps ourdisappearance had not been noticed; and, if it had been, the frigate couldnot tack, being without its helm. Conseil argued on this supposition, andlaid his plans accordingly. This quiet boy was perfectly self-possessed. Wethen decided that, as our only chance of safety was being picked up by theAbraham Lincoln's boats, we ought to manage so as to wait for them as longas possible. I resolved then to husband our strength, so that both shouldnot be exhausted at the same time; and this is how we managed: while one ofus lay on our back, quite still, with arms crossed, and legs stretched out,the other would swim and push the other on in front. This towing businessdid not last more than ten minutes each; and relieving each other thus, wecould swim on for some hours, perhaps till day-break. Poor chance! but hopeis so firmly rooted in the heart of man! Moreover, there were two of us.

Indeed I declare (though it may seem improbable) if I sought to destroy allhope -- if I wished to despair, I could not.

The collision of the frigate with the cetacean had occurred abouteleven o'clock in the evening before. I reckoned then we should have eighthours to swim before sunrise, an operation quite practicable if we relievedeach other. The ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 39



sea, very calm, was in our favour. Sometimes I tried to pierce the intensedarkness that was only dispelled by the phosphorescence caused by ourmovements. I watched the luminous waves that broke over my hand, whosemirror-like surface was spotted with silvery rings. One might have saidthat we were in a bath of quicksilver.

Near one o'clock in the morning, I was seized with dreadful fatigue.My limbs stiffened under the strain of violent cramp. Conseil was obligedto keep me up, and our preservation devolved on him alone. I heard the poorboy pant; his breathing became short and hurried. I found that he could notkeep up much longer.

"Leave me! leave me!" I said to him.

"Leave my master? Never!" replied he. "I would drown first."

Just then the moon appeared through the fringes of a thick cloud thatthe wind was driving to the east. The surface of the sea glittered with itsrays. This kindly light reanimated us. My head got better again. I lookedat all points of the horizon. I saw the frigate! She was five miles fromus, and looked like a dark mass, hardly discernible. But no boats!

I would have cried out. But what good would it have been at such adistance! My swollen lips could utter no sounds. Conseil could articulate

some words, and I heard him repeat at intervals, "Help! help!"

Our movements were suspended for an instant; we listened. It might beonly a singing in the ear, but it seemed to me as if a cry answered the cryfrom Conseil.

"Did you hear?" I murmured.

"Yes! Yes!"

And Conseil gave one more despairing cry.

This time there was no mistake! A human voice responded to ours! Was

it the voice of another unfortunate creature, abandoned in the middle ofthe ocean, some other victim of the shock sustained by the vessel? Orrather was it a boat from the frigate, that was hailing us in the darkness?

Conseil made a last effort, and, leaning on my shoulder, while Istruck out in a desperate effort, he raised himself half out of the water,then fell back exhausted. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 40

"What did you see?"

"I saw -- " murmured he; "I saw -- but do not talk -- reserve all your

strength!"

What had he seen? Then, I know not why, the thought of the monstercame into my head for the first time! But that voice! The time is past forJonahs to take refuge in whales' bellies! However, Conseil was towing meagain. He raised his head sometimes, looked before us, and uttered a cry ofrecognition, which was responded to by a voice that came nearer and nearer.I scarcely heard it. My strength was exhausted; my fingers stiffened; myhand afforded me support no longer; my mouth, convulsively opening, filledwith salt water. Cold crept over me. I raised my head for the last time,



then I sank.

At this moment a hard body struck me. I clung to it: then I felt thatI was being drawn up, that I was brought to the surface of the water, thatmy chest collapsed -- I fainted.

It is certain that I soon came to, thanks to the vigorous rubbingsthat I received. I half opened my eyes.

"Conseil!" I murmured.

"Does master call me?" asked Conseil.

Just then, by the waning light of the moon which was sinking down tothe horizon, I saw a face which was not Conseil's and which I immediatelyrecognised.

"Ned!" I cried.

"The same, sir, who is seeking his prize!" replied the Canadian.

"Were you thrown into the sea by the shock to the frigate?"

"Yes, Professor; but more fortunate than you, I was able to find a

footing almost directly upon a floating island."

"An island?"

"Or, more correctly speaking, on our gigantic narwhal."

"Explain yourself, Ned!"

"Only I soon found out why my harpoon had not entered its skin and wasblunted."

"Why, Ned, why?"

"Because, Professor, that beast is made of sheet iron." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 41

The Canadian's last words produced a sudden revolution in my brain. Iwriggled myself quickly to the top of the being, or object, half out of thewater, which served us for a refuge. I kicked it. It was evidently a hard,impenetrable body, and not the soft substance that forms the bodies of thegreat marine mammalia. But this hard body might be a bony covering, likethat of the antediluvian animals; and I should be free to class thismonster among amphibious reptiles, such as tortoises or alligators.

Well, no! the blackish back that supported me was smooth, polished,

without scales. The blow produced a metallic sound; and, incredible thoughit may be, it seemed, I might say, as if it was made of riveted plates.

There was no doubt about it! This monster, this natural phenomenonthat had puzzled the learned world, and overthrown and misled theimagination of seamen of both hemispheres, it must be owned was a stillmore astonishing phenomenon, inasmuch as it was a simply humanconstruction.

We had no time to lose, however. We were lying upon the back of a sort



of submarine boat, which appeared (as far as I could judge) like a hugefish of steel. Ned Land's mind was made up on this point. Conseil and Icould only agree with him.

Just then a bubbling began at the back of this strange thing (whichwas evidently propelled by a screw), and it began to move. We had only justtime to seize hold of the upper part, which rose about seven feet out ofthe water, and happily its speed was not great.

"As long as it sails horizontally," muttered Ned Land, "I do not mind;but, if it takes a fancy to dive, I would not give two straws for my life."

The Canadian might have said still less. It became really necessary tocommunicate with the beings, whatever they were, shut up inside themachine. I searched all over the outside for an aperture, a panel, or amanhole, to use a technical expression; but the lines of the iron rivets,solidly driven into the joints of the iron plates, were clear and ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 42

uniform. Besides, the moon disappeared then, and left us in total darkness.

At last this long night passed. My indistinct remembrance prevents mydescribing all the impressions it made. I can only recall one circumstance.

During some lulls of the wind and sea, I fancied I heard several timesvague sounds, a sort of fugitive harmony produced by words of command. Whatwas, then, the mystery of this submarine craft, of which the whole worldvainly sought an explanation? What kind of beings existed in this strangeboat? What mechanical agent caused its prodigious speed?

Daybreak appeared. The morning mists surrounded us, but they sooncleared off. I was about to examine the hull, which formed on deck a kindof horizontal platform, when I felt it gradually sinking.

"Oh! confound it!" cried Ned Land, kicking the resounding plate."Open, you inhospitable rascals!"

Happily the sinking movement ceased. Suddenly a noise, like iron worksviolently pushed aside, came from the interior of the boat. One iron platewas moved, a man appeared, uttered an odd cry, and disappeared immediately.

Some moments after, eight strong men, with masked faces, appearednoiselessly, and drew us down into their formidable machine.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.8

MOBILIS IN MOBILI

THIS forcible abduction, so roughly carried out, was accomplished withthe rapidity of lightning. I shivered all over. Whom had we to deal with?No doubt some new sort of pirates, who explored the sea in their own way.Hardly had the narrow panel closed upon me, when I was enveloped indarkness. My eyes, dazzled with the outer light, could distinguish nothing.I felt my naked feet cling to the rungs of an iron ladder. Ned Land andConseil, firmly seized, followed ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 43



me. At the bottom of the ladder, a door opened, and shut after usimmediately with a bang.

We were alone. Where, I could not say, hardly imagine. All was black,and such a dense black that, after some minutes, my eyes had not been ableto discern even the faintest glimmer.

Meanwhile, Ned Land, furious at these proceedings, gave free vent tohis indignation.

"Confound it!" cried he, "here are people who come up to the Scotchfor hospitality. They only just miss being cannibals. I should not besurprised at it, but I declare that they shall not eat me without myprotesting."

"Calm yourself, friend Ned, calm yourself," replied Conseil, quietly."Do not cry out before you are hurt. We are not quite done for yet."

"Not quite," sharply replied the Canadian, "but pretty near, at allevents. Things look black. Happily, my bowie- knife I have still, and I canalways see well enough to use it. The first of these pirates who lays ahand on me -- "

"Do not excite yourself, Ned," I said to the harpooner, "and do not

compromise us by useless violence. Who knows that they will not listen tous? Let us rather try to find out where we are."

I groped about. In five steps I came to an iron wall, made of platesbolted together. Then turning back I struck against a wooden table, nearwhich were ranged several stools. The boards of this prison were concealedunder a thick mat, which deadened the noise of the feet. The bare wallsrevealed no trace of window or door. Conseil, going round the reverse way,met me, and we went back to the middle of the cabin, which measured abouttwenty feet by ten. As to its height, Ned Land, in spite of his own greatheight, could not measure it.

Half an hour had already passed without our situation being bettered,

when the dense darkness suddenly gave way to extreme light. Our prison wassuddenly lighted, that is to say, it became filled with a luminous matter,so strong that I could not bear it at first. In its whiteness and intensityI recognised that electric light which played round the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 44

submarine boat like a magnificent phenomenon of phosphorescence. Aftershutting my eyes involuntarily, I opened them, and saw that this luminousagent came from a half globe, unpolished, placed in the roof of the cabin.

"At last one can see," cried Ned Land, who, knife in hand, stood onthe defensive.

"Yes," said I; "but we are still in the dark about ourselves."

"Let master have patience," said the imperturbable Conseil.

The sudden lighting of the cabin enabled me to examine it minutely. Itonly contained a table and five stools. The invisible door might behermetically sealed. No noise was heard. All seemed dead in the interior ofthis boat. Did it move, did it float on the surface of the ocean, or did itdive into its depths? I could not guess.



A noise of bolts was now heard, the door opened, and two men appeared.

One was short, very muscular, broad-shouldered, with robust limbs,strong head, an abundance of black hair, thick moustache, a quickpenetrating look, and the vivacity which characterises the population ofSouthern France.

The second stranger merits a more detailed description. I made out hisprevailing qualities directly: self-confidence -- because his head was wellset on his shoulders, and his black eyes looked around with cold assurance;calmness -- for his skin, rather pale, showed his coolness of blood; energy-- evinced by the rapid contraction of his lofty brows; and courage --because his deep breathing denoted great power of lungs.

Whether this person was thirty-five or fifty years of age, I could notsay. He was tall, had a large forehead, straight nose, a clearly cut mouth,beautiful teeth, with fine taper hands, indicative of a highly nervoustemperament. This man was certainly the most admirable specimen I had evermet. One particular feature was his eyes, rather far from each other, andwhich could take in nearly a quarter of the horizon at once.

This faculty -- (I verified it later) -- gave him a range of ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 45

vision far superior to Ned Land's. When this stranger fixed upon an object,his eyebrows met, his large eyelids closed around so as to contract therange of his vision, and he looked as if he magnified the objects lessenedby distance, as if he pierced those sheets of water so opaque to our eyes,and as if he read the very depths of the seas.

The two strangers, with caps made from the fur of the sea otter, andshod with sea boots of seal's skin, were dressed in clothes of a particulartexture, which allowed free movement of the limbs. The taller of the two,evidently the chief on board, examined us with great attention, withoutsaying a word; then, turning to his companion, talked with him in an

unknown tongue. It was a sonorous, harmonious, and flexible dialect, thevowels seeming to admit of very varied accentuation.

The other replied by a shake of the head, and added two or threeperfectly incomprehensible words. Then he seemed to question me by a look.

I replied in good French that I did not know his language; but heseemed not to understand me, and my situation became more embarrassing.

"If master were to tell our story," said Conseil, "perhaps thesegentlemen may understand some words."

I began to tell our adventures, articulating each syllable clearly,

and without omitting one single detail. I announced our names and rank,introducing in person Professor Aronnax, his servant Conseil, and masterNed Land, the harpooner.

The man with the soft calm eyes listened to me quietly, even politely,and with extreme attention; but nothing in his countenance indicated thathe had understood my story. When I finished, he said not a word.

There remained one resource, to speak English. Perhaps they would knowthis almost universal language. I knew it -- as well as the German language



-- well enough to read it fluently, but not to speak it correctly. But,anyhow, we must make ourselves understood.

"Go on in your turn," I said to the harpooner; "speak your bestAnglo-Saxon, and try to do better than I." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 46

Ned did not beg off, and recommenced our story.

To his great disgust, the harpooner did not seem to have made himselfmore intelligible than I had. Our visitors did not stir. They evidentlyunderstood neither the language of England nor of France.

Very much embarrassed, after having vainly exhausted our speakingresources, I knew not what part to take, when Conseil said:

"If master will permit me, I will relate it in German."

But in spite of the elegant terms and good accent of the narrator, theGerman language had no success. At last, nonplussed, I tried to remember myfirst lessons, and to narrate our adventures in Latin, but with no bettersuccess. This last attempt being of no avail, the two strangers exchangedsome words in their unknown language, and retired.

The door shut.

"It is an infamous shame," cried Ned Land, who broke out for thetwentieth time. "We speak to those rogues in French, English, German, andLatin, and not one of them has the politeness to answer!"

"Calm yourself," I said to the impetuous Ned; "anger will do no good."

"But do you see, Professor," replied our irascible companion, "that weshall absolutely die of hunger in this iron cage?"

"Bah!" said Conseil, philosophically; "we can hold out some time yet."

"My friends," I said, "we must not despair. We have been worse offthan this. Do me the favour to wait a little before forming an opinion uponthe commander and crew of this boat."

"My opinion is formed," replied Ned Land, sharply. "They are rascals."

"Good! and from what country?"

"From the land of rogues!"

"My brave Ned, that country is not clearly indicated on the map of theworld; but I admit that the nationality of the two strangers is hard to

determine. Neither English, French, nor German, that is quite certain.However, I am ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 47

inclined to think that the commander and his companion were born in lowlatitudes. There is southern blood in them. But I cannot decide by theirappearance whether they are Spaniards, Turks, Arabians, or Indians. As totheir language, it is quite incomprehensible."



"There is the disadvantage of not knowing all languages," saidConseil, "or the disadvantage of not having one universal language."

As he said these words, the door opened. A steward entered. He broughtus clothes, coats and trousers, made of a stuff I did not know. I hastenedto dress myself, and my companions followed my example. During that time,the steward -- dumb, perhaps deaf -- had arranged the table, and laid threeplates.

"This is something like!" said Conseil.

"Bah!" said the angry harpooner, "what do you suppose they eat here?Tortoise liver, filleted shark, and beef- steaks from seadogs."

"We shall see," said Conseil.

The dishes, of bell metal, were placed on the table, and we took ourplaces. Undoubtedly we had to do with civilised people, and, had it notbeen for the electric light which flooded us, I could have fancied I was inthe dining-room of the Adelphi Hotel at Liverpool, or at the Grand Hotel inParis. I must say, however, that there was neither bread nor wine. Thewater was fresh and clear, but it was water and did not suit Ned Land'staste. Amongst the dishes which were brought to us, I recognised severalfish delicately dressed; but of some, although excellent, I could give no

opinion, neither could I tell to what kingdom they belonged, whether animalor vegetable. As to the dinner-service, it was elegant, and in perfecttaste. Each utensil -- spoon, fork, knife, plate -- had a letter engravedon it, with a motto above it, of which this is an exact facsimile:

MOBILIS IN MOBILI

N

The letter N was no doubt the initial of the name of the enigmaticalperson who commanded at the bottom of the seas. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 48

Ned and Conseil did not reflect much. They devoured the food, and Idid likewise. I was, besides, reassured as to our fate; and it seemedevident that our hosts would not let us die of want.

However, everything has an end, everything passes away, even thehunger of people who have not eaten for fifteen hours. Our appetitessatisfied, we felt overcome with sleep.

"Faith! I shall sleep well," said Conseil.

"So shall I," replied Ned Land.

My two companions stretched themselves on the cabin carpet, and weresoon sound asleep. For my own part, too many thoughts crowded my brain, toomany insoluble questions pressed upon me, too many fancies kept my eyeshalf open. Where were we? What strange power carried us on? I felt -- orrather fancied I felt -- the machine sinking down to the lowest beds of thesea. Dreadful nightmares beset me; I saw in these mysterious asylums aworld of unknown animals, amongst which this submarine boat seemed to be ofthe same kind, living, moving, and formidable as they. Then my brain grewcalmer, my imagination wandered into vague unconsciousness, and I soon fellinto a deep sleep.



--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.9

NED LAND'S TEMPERS

How long we slept I do not know; but our sleep must have lasted long,for it rested us completely from our fatigues. I woke first. My companionshad not moved, and were still stretched in their corner.

Hardly roused from my somewhat hard couch, I felt my brain freed, mymind clear. I then began an attentive examination of our cell. Nothing waschanged inside. The prison was still a prison -- the prisoners, prisoners.However, the steward, during our sleep, had cleared the table. I breathedwith difficulty. The heavy air seemed to oppress my lungs. Although thecell was large, we had evidently ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 49

consumed a great part of the oxygen that it contained. Indeed, each manconsumes, in one hour, the oxygen contained in more than 176 pints of air,and this air, charged (as then) with a nearly equal quantity of carbonicacid, becomes unbreathable.

It became necessary to renew the atmosphere of our prison, and nodoubt the whole in the submarine boat. That gave rise to a question in mymind. How would the commander of this floating dwelling-place proceed?Would he obtain air by chemical means, in getting by heat the oxygencontained in chlorate of potash, and in absorbing carbonic acid by causticpotash? Or -- a more convenient, economical, and consequently more probablealternative -- would he be satisfied to rise and take breath at the surfaceof the water, like a whale, and so renew for twenty-four hours theatmospheric provision?

In fact, I was already obliged to increase my respirations to eke outof this cell the little oxygen it contained, when suddenly I was refreshed

by a current of pure air, and perfumed with saline emanations. It was aninvigorating sea breeze, charged with iodine. I opened my mouth wide, andmy lungs saturated themselves with fresh particles.

At the same time I felt the boat rolling. The iron-plated monster hadevidently just risen to the surface of the ocean to breathe, after thefashion of whales. I found out from that the mode of ventilating the boat.

When I had inhaled this air freely, I sought the conduit pipe, whichconveyed to us the beneficial whiff, and I was not long in finding it.Above the door was a ventilator, through which volumes of fresh air renewedthe impoverished atmosphere of the cell.

I was making my observations, when Ned and Conseil awoke almost at thesame time, under the influence of this reviving air. They rubbed theireyes, stretched themselves, and were on their feet in an instant.

"Did master sleep well?" asked Conseil, with his usual politeness.

"Very well, my brave boy. And you, Mr. Land?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 50



listen to me?"

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.10

THE MAN OF THE SEAS

IT WAS the commander of the vessel who thus spoke.

At these words, Ned Land rose suddenly. The steward, nearly strangled,tottered out on a sign from his master. But such was the power of thecommander on board, that not a gesture betrayed the resentment which thisman must have felt towards the Canadian. Conseil interested in spite ofhimself, I stupefied, awaited in silence the result of this scene.

The commander, leaning against the corner of a table with his armsfolded, scanned us with profound attention. Did he hesitate to speak? Didhe regret the words which he had just spoken in French? One might almostthink so.

After some moments of silence, which not one of us dreamed ofbreaking, "Gentlemen," said he, in a calm and penetrating voice, "I speakFrench, English, German, and Latin equally well. I could, therefore, have

answered you at our first interview, but I wished to know you first, thento reflect. The story told by each one, entirely agreeing in the mainpoints, convinced me of your identity. I know now that chance has broughtbefore me M. Pierre Aronnax, Professor of Natural History at the Museum ofParis, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 52

entrusted with a scientific mission abroad, Conseil, his servant, and NedLand, of Canadian origin, harpooner on board the frigate Abraham Lincoln ofthe navy of the United States of America."

I bowed assent. It was not a question that the commander put to me.

Therefore there was no answer to be made. This man expressed himself withperfect ease, without any accent. His sentences were well turned, his wordsclear, and his fluency of speech remarkable. Yet, I did not recognise inhim a fellow-countryman.

He continued the conversation in these terms:

"You have doubtless thought, sir, that I have delayed long in payingyou this second visit. The reason is that, your identity recognised, Iwished to weigh maturely what part to act towards you. I have hesitatedmuch. Most annoying circumstances have brought you into the presence of aman who has broken all the ties of humanity. You have come to trouble myexistence."

"Unintentionally!" said I.

"Unintentionally?" replied the stranger, raising his voice a little."Was it unintentionally that the Abraham Lincoln pursued me all over theseas? Was it unintentionally that you took passage in this frigate? Was itunintentionally that your cannon-balls rebounded off the plating of myvessel? Was it unintentionally that Mr. Ned Land struck me with hisharpoon?"



I detected a restrained irritation in these words. But to theserecriminations I had a very natural answer to make, and I made it.

"Sir," said I, "no doubt you are ignorant of the discussions whichhave taken place concerning you in America and Europe. You do not know thatdivers accidents, caused by collisions with your submarine machine, haveexcited public feeling in the two continents. I omit the theories withoutnumber by which it was sought to explain that of which you alone possessthe secret. But you must understand that, in pursuing you over the highseas of the Pacific, the Abraham Lincoln believed itself to be chasing some ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 53

powerful sea-monster, of which it was necessary to rid the ocean at anyprice."

A half-smile curled the lips of the commander: then, in a calmer tone:

"M. Aronnax," he replied, "dare you affirm that your frigate would notas soon have pursued and cannonaded a submarine boat as a monster?"

This question embarrassed me, for certainly Captain Farragut might nothave hesitated. He might have thought it his duty to destroy a contrivanceof this kind, as he would a gigantic narwhal.

"You understand then, sir," continued the stranger, "that I have theright to treat you as enemies?"

I answered nothing, purposely. For what good would it be to discusssuch a proposition, when force could destroy the best arguments?

"I have hesitated some time," continued the commander; nothing obligedme to show you hospitality. If I chose to separate myself from you, Ishould have no interest in seeing you again; I could place you upon thedeck of this vessel which has served you as a refuge, I could sink beneaththe waters, and forget that you had ever existed. Would not that be myright?"

"It might be the right of a savage," I answered, "but not that of acivilised man."

"Professor," replied the commander, quickly, "I am not what you call acivilised man! I have done with society entirely, for reasons which I alonehave the right of appreciating. I do not, therefore, obey its laws, and Idesire you never to allude to them before me again!"

This was said plainly. A flash of anger and disdain kindled in theeyes of the Unknown, and I had a glimpse of a terrible past in the life ofthis man. Not only had he put himself beyond the pale of human laws, but hehad made himself independent of them, free in the strictest acceptation of

the word, quite beyond their reach! Who then would dare to pursue him atthe bottom of the sea, when, on its surface, he defied all attempts madeagainst him?

What vessel could resist the shock of his submarine monitor? ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 54

What cuirass, however thick, could withstand the blows of his spur? No mancould demand from him an account of his actions; God, if he believed in one



-- his conscience, if he had one -- were the sole judges to whom he wasanswerable.

These reflections crossed my mind rapidly, whilst the strangerpersonage was silent, absorbed, and as if wrapped up in himself. I regardedhim with fear mingled with interest, as, doubtless, OEdiphus regarded theSphinx.

After rather a long silence, the commander resumed the conversation.

"I have hesitated," said he, "but I have thought that my interestmight be reconciled with that pity to which every human being has a right.You will remain on board my vessel, since fate has cast you there. You willbe free; and, in exchange for this liberty, I shall only impose one singlecondition. Your word of honour to submit to it will suffice."

"Speak, sir," I answered. "I suppose this condition is one which a manof honour may accept?"

"Yes, sir; it is this: It is possible that certain events, unforeseen,may oblige me to consign you to your cabins for some hours or some days, asthe case may be. As I desire never to use violence, I expect from you, morethan all the others, a passive obedience. In thus acting, I take all theresponsibility: I acquit you entirely, for I make it an impossibility for

you to see what ought not to be seen. Do you accept this condition?"

Then things took place on board which, to say the least, weresingular, and which ought not to be seen by people who were not placedbeyond the pale of social laws. Amongst the surprises which the future waspreparing for me, this might not be the least.

"We accept," I answered; "only I will ask your permission, sir, toaddress one question to you -- one only."

"Speak, sir."

"You said that we should be free on board."

"Entirely."

"I ask you, then, what you mean by this liberty?"

"Just the liberty to go, to come, to see, to observe even all thatpasses here save under rare circumstances -- the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 55

liberty, in short, which we enjoy ourselves, my companions and I."

It was evident that we did not understand one another.

"Pardon me, sir," I resumed, "but this liberty is only what everyprisoner has of pacing his prison. It cannot suffice us."

"It must suffice you, however."

"What! we must renounce for ever seeing our country, our friends, ourrelations again?"

"Yes, sir. But to renounce that unendurable worldly yoke which men



believe to be liberty is not perhaps so painful as you think."

"Well," exclaimed Ned Land, "never will I give my word of honour notto try to escape."

"I did not ask you for your word of honour, Master Land," answered thecommander, coldly.

"Sir," I replied, beginning to get angry in spite of myself, "youabuse your situation towards us; it is cruelty."

"No, sir, it is clemency. You are my prisoners of war. I keep you,when I could, by a word, plunge you into the depths of the ocean. Youattacked me. You came to surprise a secret which no man in the world mustpenetrate -- the secret of my whole existence. And you think that I amgoing to send you back to that world which must know me no more? Never! Inretaining you, it is not you whom I guard -- it is myself."

These words indicated a resolution taken on the part of the commander,against which no arguments would prevail.

"So, sir," I rejoined, "you give us simply the choice between life anddeath?"

"Simply."

"My friends," said I, "to a question thus put, there is nothing toanswer. But no word of honour binds us to the master of this vessel."

"None, sir," answered the Unknown.

Then, in a gentler tone, he continued:

"Now, permit me to finish what I have to say to you. I know you, M.Aronnax. You and your companions will not, perhaps, have so much tocomplain of in the chance ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 56

which has bound you to my fate. You will find amongst the books which aremy favourite study the work which you have published on 'the depths of thesea.' I have often read it. You have carried out your work as far asterrestrial science permitted you. But you do not know all -- you have notseen all. Let me tell you then, Professor, that you will not regret thetime passed on board my vessel. You are going to visit the land ofmarvels."

These words of the commander had a great effect upon me. I cannot denyit. My weak point was touched; and I forgot, for a moment, that thecontemplation of these sublime subjects was not worth the loss of liberty.

Besides, I trusted to the future to decide this grave question. So Icontented myself with saying:

"By what name ought I to address you?"

"Sir," replied the commander, "I am nothing to you but Captain Nemo;and you and your companions are nothing to me but the passengers of theNautilus."

Captain Nemo called. A steward appeared. The captain gave him his



orders in that strange language which I did not understand. Then, turningtowards the Canadian and Conseil:

"A repast awaits you in your cabin," said he. "Be so good as to followthis man.

"And now, M. Aronnax, our breakfast is ready. Permit me to lead theway."

"I am at your service, Captain."

I followed Captain Nemo; and as soon as I had passed through the door,I found myself in a kind of passage lighted by electricity, similar to thewaist of a ship. After we had proceeded a dozen yards, a second door openedbefore me.

I then entered a dining-room, decorated and furnished in severe taste.High oaken sideboards, inlaid with ebony, stood at the two extremities ofthe room, and upon their shelves glittered china, porcelain, and glass ofinestimable value. The plate on the table sparkled in the rays which theluminous ceiling shed around, while the light was tempered and softened byexquisite paintings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 57

In the centre of the room was a table richly laid out. Captain Nemoindicated the place I was to occupy.

The breakfast consisted of a certain number of dishes, the contents ofwhich were furnished by the sea alone; and I was ignorant of the nature andmode of preparation of some of them. I acknowledged that they were good,but they had a peculiar flavour, which I easily became accustomed to. Thesedifferent aliments appeared to me to be rich in phosphorus, and I thoughtthey must have a marine origin.

Captain Nemo looked at me. I asked him no questions, but he guessed mythoughts, and answered of his own accord the questions which I was burning

to address to him.

"The greater part of these dishes are unknown to you," he said to me."However, you may partake of them without fear. They are wholesome andnourishing. For a long time I have renounced the food of the earth, and Iam never ill now. My crew, who are healthy, are fed on the same food."

"So," said I, "all these eatables are the produce of the sea?"

"Yes, Professor, the sea supplies all my wants. Sometimes I cast mynets in tow, and I draw them in ready to break. Sometimes I hunt in themidst of this element, which appears to be inaccessible to man, and quarrythe game which dwells in my submarine forests. My flocks, like those of

Neptune's old shepherds, graze fearlessly in the immense prairies of theocean. I have a vast property there, which I cultivate myself, and which isalways sown by the hand of the Creator of all things."

"I can understand perfectly, sir, that your nets furnish excellentfish for your table; I can understand also that you hunt aquatic game inyour submarine forests; but I cannot understand at all how a particle ofmeat, no matter how small, can figure in your bill of fare."

"This, which you believe to be meat, Professor, is nothing else than



fillet of turtle. Here are also some dolphins' livers, which you take to beragout of pork. My cook is a clever fellow, who excels in dressing thesevarious products of the ocean. Taste all these dishes. Here is a preserveof ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 58

sea-cucumber, which a Malay would declare to be unrivalled in the world;here is a cream, of which the milk has been furnished by the cetacea, andthe sugar by the great fucus of the North Sea; and, lastly, permit me tooffer you some preserve of anemones, which is equal to that of the mostdelicious fruits."

I tasted, more from curiosity than as a connoisseur, whilst CaptainNemo enchanted me with his extraordinary stories.

"You like the sea, Captain?"

"Yes; I love it! The sea is everything. It covers seven- tenths of theterrestrial globe. Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert,where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides. The seais only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It isnothing but love and emotion; it is the 'Living Infinite,' as one of yourpoets has said. In fact, Professor, Nature manifests herself in it by her

three kingdoms -- mineral, vegetable, and animal. The sea is the vastreservoir of Nature. The globe began with sea, so to speak; and who knowsif it will not end with it? In it is supreme tranquillity. The sea does notbelong to despots. Upon its surface men can still exercise unjust laws,fight, tear one another to pieces, and be carried away with terrestrialhorrors. But at thirty feet below its level, their reign ceases, theirinfluence is quenched, and their power disappears. Ah! sir, live -- live inthe bosom of the waters! There only is independence! There I recognise nomasters! There I am free!"

Captain Nemo suddenly became silent in the midst of this enthusiasm,by which he was quite carried away. For a few moments he paced up and down,much agitated. Then he became more calm, regained his accustomed coldness

of expression, and turning towards me:

"Now, Professor," said he, "if you wish to go over the Nautilus, I amat your service."

Captain Nemo rose. I followed him. A double door, contrived at theback of the dining-room, opened, and I entered a room equal in dimensionsto that which I had just quitted.

It was a library. High pieces of furniture, of black violet ebonyinlaid with brass, supported upon their wide shelves ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 59

a great number of books uniformly bound. They followed the shape of theroom, terminating at the lower part in huge divans, covered with brownleather, which were curved, to afford the greatest comfort. Light movabledesks, made to slide in and out at will, allowed one to rest one's bookwhile reading. In the centre stood an immense table, covered withpamphlets, amongst which were some newspapers, already of old date. Theelectric light flooded everything; it was shed from four unpolished globeshalf sunk in the volutes of the ceiling. I looked with real admiration atthis room, so ingeniously fitted up, and I could scarcely believe my eyes.



"Captain Nemo," said I to my host, who had just thrown himself on oneof the divans, "this is a library which would do honour to more than one ofthe continental palaces, and I am absolutely astounded when I consider thatit can follow you to the bottom of the seas."

"Where could one find greater solitude or silence, Professor?" repliedCaptain Nemo. "Did your study in the Museum afford you such perfect quiet?"

"No, sir; and I must confess that it is a very poor one after yours.You must have six or seven thousand volumes here."

"Twelve thousand, M. Aronnax. These are the only ties which bind me tothe earth. But I had done with the world on the day when my Nautilusplunged for the first time beneath the waters. That day I bought my lastvolumes, my last pamphlets, my last papers, and from that time I wish tothink that men no longer think or write. These books, Professor, are atyour service besides, and you can make use of them freely."

I thanked Captain Nemo, and went up to the shelves of the library.Works on science, morals, and literature abounded in every language; but Idid not see one single work on political economy; that subject appeared tobe strictly proscribed. Strange to say, all these books were irregularlyarranged, in whatever language they were written; and this medley proved

that the Captain of the Nautilus must have read indiscriminately the bookswhich he took up by chance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 60

"Sir," said I to the Captain, "I thank you for having placed thislibrary at my disposal. It contains treasures of science, and I shallprofit by them."

"This room is not only a library," said Captain Nemo, "it is also asmoking-room."

"A smoking-room!" I cried. "Then one may smoke on board?"

"Certainly."

"Then, sir, I am forced to believe that you have kept up acommunication with Havannah."

"Not any," answered the Captain. "Accept this cigar, M. Aronnax; and,though it does not come from Havannah, you will be pleased with it, if youare a connoisseur."

I took the cigar which was offered me; its shape recalled the Londonones, but it seemed to be made of leaves of gold. I lighted it at a littlebrazier, which was supported upon an elegant bronze stem, and drew the

first whiffs with the delight of a lover of smoking who has not smoked fortwo days.

"It is excellent, but it is not tobacco."

"No!" answered the Captain, "this tobacco comes neither from Havannahnor from the East. It is a kind of sea-weed, rich in nicotine, with whichthe sea provides me, but somewhat sparingly."

At that moment Captain Nemo opened a door which stood opposite to that



by which I had entered the library, and I passed into an immensedrawing-room splendidly lighted.

It was a vast, four-sided room, thirty feet long, eighteen wide, andfifteen high. A luminous ceiling, decorated with light arabesques, shed asoft clear light over all the marvels accumulated in this museum. For itwas in fact a museum, in which an intelligent and prodigal hand hadgathered all the treasures of nature and art, with the artistic confusionwhich distinguishes a painter's studio.

Thirty first-rate pictures, uniformly framed, separated by brightdrapery, ornamented the walls, which were hung with tapestry of severedesign. I saw works of great value, the greater part of which I had admiredin the special collections of Europe, and in the exhibitions of paintings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 61

Some admirable statues in marble and bronze, after the finest antiquemodels, stood upon pedestals in the corners of this magnificent museum.Amazement, as the Captain of the Nautilus had predicted, had already begunto take possession of me.

"Professor," said this strange man, "you must excuse the unceremoniousway in which I receive you, and the disorder of this room."

"Sir," I answered, "without seeking to know who you are, I recognisein you an artist."

An amateur, nothing more, sir. Formerly I loved to collect thesebeautiful works created by the hand of man. I sought them greedily, andferreted them out indefatigably, and I have been able to bring togethersome objects of great value. These are my last souvenirs of that worldwhich is dead to me. In my eyes, your modern artists are already old; theyhave two or three thousand years of existence; I confound them in my ownmind. Masters have no age."

Under elegant glass cases, fixed by copper rivets, were classed and

labelled the most precious productions of the sea which had ever beenpresented to the eye of a naturalist. My delight as a professor may beconceived.

Apart, in separate compartments, were spread out chaplets of pearls ofthe greatest beauty, which reflected the electric light in little sparks offire; pink pearls, torn from the pinna-marina of the Red Sea; green pearls,yellow, blue, and black pearls, the curious productions of the diversmolluscs of every ocean, and certain mussels of the water- courses of theNorth; lastly, several specimens of inestimable value. Some of these pearlswere larger than a pigeon's egg, and were worth millions.

Therefore, to estimate the value of this collection was simply

impossible. Captain Nemo must have expended millions in the acquirement ofthese various specimens, and I was thinking what source he could have drawnfrom, to have been able thus to gratify his fancy for collecting, when Iwas interrupted by these words: ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 62

"You are examining my shells, Professor? Unquestionably they must beinteresting to a naturalist; but for me they have a far greater charm, forI have collected them all with my own hand, and there is not a sea on the



face of the globe which has escaped my researches."

"I can understand, Captain, the delight of wandering about in themidst of such riches. You are one of those who have collected theirtreasures themselves. No museum in Europe possesses such a collection ofthe produce of the ocean. But if I exhaust all my admiration upon it, Ishall have none left for the vessel which carries it. I do not wish to pryinto your secrets: but I must confess that this Nautilus, with the motivepower which is confined in it, the contrivances which enable it to beworked, the powerful agent which propels it, all excite my curiosity to thehighest pitch. I see suspended on the walls of this room instruments ofwhose use I am ignorant."

"You will find these same instruments in my own room, Professor, whereI shall have much pleasure in explaining their use to you. But first comeand inspect the cabin which is set apart for your own use. You must see howyou will be accommodated on board the Nautilus."

I followed Captain Nemo who, by one of the doors opening from eachpanel of the drawing-room, regained the waist. He conducted me towards thebow, and there I found, not a cabin, but an elegant room, with a bed,dressing- table, and several other pieces of excellent furniture.

I could only thank my host.

"Your room adjoins mine," said he, opening a door, "and mine opensinto the drawing-room that we have just quitted."

I entered the Captain's room: it had a severe, almost a monkishaspect. A small iron bedstead, a table, some articles for the toilet; thewhole lighted by a skylight. No comforts, the strictest necessaries only.

Captain Nemo pointed to a seat.

"Be so good as to sit down," he said. I seated myself, and he beganthus:

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 63

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.11

ALL BY ELECTRICITY

SIR," said Captain Nemo, showing me the instruments hanging on thewalls of his room, "here are the contrivances required for the navigationof the Nautilus. Here, as in the drawing-room, I have them always under myeyes, and they indicate my position and exact direction in the middle of

the ocean. Some are known to you, such as the thermometer, which gives theinternal temperature of the Nautilus; the barometer, which indicates theweight of the air and foretells the changes of the weather; the hygrometer,which marks the dryness of the atmosphere; the storm-glass, the contents ofwhich, by decomposing, announce the approach of tempests; the compass,which guides my course; the sextant, which shows the latitude by thealtitude of the sun; chronometers, by which I calculate the longitude; andglasses for day and night, which I use to examine the points of thehorizon, when the Nautilus rises to the surface of the waves."



"These are the usual nautical instruments," I replied, "and I know theuse of them. But these others, no doubt, answer to the particularrequirements of the Nautilus. This dial with movable needle is a manometer,is it not?"

"It is actually a manometer. But by communication with the water,whose external pressure it indicates, it gives our depth at the same time."

"And these other instruments, the use of which I cannot guess?"

"Here, Professor, I ought to give you some explanations. Will you bekind enough to listen to me?"

He was silent for a few moments, then he said:

"There is a powerful agent, obedient, rapid, easy, which conforms toevery use, and reigns supreme on board my vessel. Everything is done bymeans of it. It lights, warms it, and is the soul of my mechanicalapparatus. This agent is electricity."

"Electricity?" I cried in surprise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 64

"Yes, sir."

"Nevertheless, Captain, you possess an extreme rapidity of movement,which does not agree well with the power of electricity. Until now, itsdynamic force has remained under restraint, and has only been able toproduce a small amount of power."

"Professor," said Captain Nemo, "my electricity is not everybody's.You know what sea-water is composed of. In a thousand grammes are found 961/2 per cent. of water, and about 2 2/3 per cent. of chloride of sodium;then, in a smaller quantity, chlorides of magnesium and of potassium,bromide of magnesium, sulphate of magnesia, sulphate and carbonate of lime.You see, then, that chloride of sodium forms a large part of it. So it is

this sodium that I extract from the sea-water, and of which I compose myingredients. I owe all to the ocean; it produces electricity, andelectricity gives heat, light, motion, and, in a word, life to theNautilus."

"But not the air you breathe?"

"Oh! I could manufacture the air necessary for my consumption, but itis useless, because I go up to the surface of the water when I please.However, if electricity does not furnish me with air to breathe, it worksat least the powerful pumps that are stored in spacious reservoirs, andwhich enable me to prolong at need, and as long as I will, my stay in thedepths of the sea. It gives a uniform and unintermittent light, which the

sun does not. Now look at this clock; it is electrical, and goes with aregularity that defies the best chronometers. I have divided it intotwenty-four hours, like the Italian clocks, because for me there is neithernight nor day, sun nor moon, but only that factitious light that I takewith me to the bottom of the sea. Look! just now, it is ten o'clock in themorning."

"Exactly."

"Another application of electricity. This dial hanging in front of us



indicates the speed of the Nautilus. An electric thread puts it incommunication with the screw, and the needle indicates the real speed.Look! now we are spinning along with a uniform speed of fifteen miles anhour." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 65

"It is marvelous! And I see, Captain, you were right to make use ofthis agent that takes the place of wind, water, and steam."

"We have not finished, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo, rising. "If youwill allow me, we will examine the stern of the Nautilus."

Really, I knew already the anterior part of this submarine boat, ofwhich this is the exact division, starting from the ship's head: thedining-room, five yards long, separated from the library by a water-tightpartition; the library, five yards long; the large drawing-room, ten yardslong, separated from the Captain's room by a second water-tight partition;the said room, five yards in length; mine, two and a half yards; and,lastly a reservoir of air, seven and a half yards, that extended to thebows. Total length thirty- five yards, or one hundred and five feet. Thepartitions had doors that were shut hermetically by means of india-rubberinstruments, and they ensured the safety of the Nautilus in case of a leak.

I followed Captain Nemo through the waist, and arrived at the centreof the boat. There was a sort of well that opened between two partitions.An iron ladder, fastened with an iron hook to the partition, led to theupper end. I asked the Captain what the ladder was used for.

"It leads to the small boat," he said.

"What! have you a boat?" I exclaimed, in surprise.

"Of course; an excellent vessel, light and insubmersible, that serveseither as a fishing or as a pleasure boat."

"But then, when you wish to embark, you are obliged to come to the

surface of the water?"

"Not at all. This boat is attached to the upper part of the hull ofthe Nautilus, and occupies a cavity made for it. It is decked, quitewater-tight, and held together by solid bolts. This ladder leads to aman-hole made in the hull of the Nautilus, that corresponds with a similarhole made in the side of the boat. By this double opening I get into thesmall vessel. They shut the one belonging to the Nautilus; I shut the otherby means of screw pressure. I undo the bolts, and the little boat goes upto the surface of the sea ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 66

with prodigious rapidity. I then open the panel of the bridge, carefullyshut till then; I mast it, hoist my sail, take my oars, and I'm off."

"But how do you get back on board?"

"I do not come back, M. Aronnax; the Nautilus comes to me."

"By your orders?"

"By my orders. An electric thread connects us. I telegraph to it, and



that is enough."

"Really," I said, astonished at these marvels, "nothing can be moresimple."

After having passed by the cage of the staircase that led to theplatform, I saw a cabin six feet long, in which Conseil and Ned Land,enchanted with their repast, were devouring it with avidity. Then a dooropened into a kitchen nine feet long, situated between the largestore-rooms. There electricity, better than gas itself, did all thecooking. The streams under the furnaces gave out to the sponges of platinaa heat which was regularly kept up and distributed. They also heated adistilling apparatus, which, by evaporation, furnished excellent drinkablewater. Near this kitchen was a bathroom comfortably furnished, with hot andcold water taps.

Next to the kitchen was the berth-room of the vessel, sixteen feetlong. But the door was shut, and I could not see the management of it,which might have given me an idea of the number of men employed on boardthe Nautilus.

At the bottom was a fourth partition that separated this office fromthe engine-room. A door opened, and I found myself in the compartment whereCaptain Nemo -- certainly an engineer of a very high order -- had arranged

his locomotive machinery. This engine-room, clearly lighted, did notmeasure less than sixty-five feet in length. It was divided into two parts;the first contained the materials for producing electricity, and the secondthe machinery that connected it with the screw. I examined it with greatinterest, in order to understand the machinery of the Nautilus.

"You see," said the Captain, "I use Bunsen's contrivances, notRuhmkorff's. Those would not have been powerful ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 67

enough. Bunsen's are fewer in number, but strong and large, whichexperience proves to be the best. The electricity produced passes forward,

where it works, by electro- magnets of great size, on a system of leversand cog-wheels that transmit the movement to the axle of the screw. Thisone, the diameter of which is nineteen feet, and the thread twenty-threefeet, performs about 120 revolutions in a second."

"And you get then?"

"A speed of fifty miles an hour."

"I have seen the Nautilus manoeuvre before the Abraham Lincoln, and Ihave my own ideas as to its speed. But this is not enough. We must seewhere we go. We must be able to direct it to the right, to the left, above,below. How do you get to the great depths, where you find an increasing

resistance, which is rated by hundreds of atmospheres? How do you return tothe surface of the ocean? And how do you maintain yourselves in therequisite medium? Am I asking too much?"

"Not at all, Professor," replied the Captain, with some hesitation;"since you may never leave this submarine boat. Come into the saloon, it isour usual study, and there you will learn all you want to know about theNautilus."

--------------------------------------



Chapter 1.12

SOME FIGURES

A MOMENT after we were seated on a divan in the saloon smoking. TheCaptain showed me a sketch that gave the plan, section, and elevation ofthe Nautilus. Then he began his description in these words:

"Here, M. Aronnax, are the several dimensions of the boat you are in.It is an elongated cylinder with conical ends. It is very like a cigar inshape, a shape already adopted in London in several constructions of thesame sort. The length of this cylinder, from stem to stern, is exactly 232feet, and its maximum breadth is twenty-six ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 68

feet. It is not built quite like your long-voyage steamers, but its linesare sufficiently long, and its curves prolonged enough, to allow the waterto slide off easily, and oppose no obstacle to its passage. These twodimensions enable you to obtain by a simple calculation the surface andcubic contents of the Nautilus. Its area measures 6,032 feet; and itscontents about 1,500 cubic yards; that is to say, when completely immersedit displaces 50,000 feet of water, or weighs 1,500 tons.

"When I made the plans for this submarine vessel, I meant thatnine-tenths should be submerged: consequently it ought only to displacenine-tenths of its bulk, that is to say, only to weigh that number of tons.I ought not, therefore, to have exceeded that weight, constructing it onthe aforesaid dimensions.

"The Nautilus is composed of two hulls, one inside, the other outside,joined by T-shaped irons, which render it very strong. Indeed, owing tothis cellular arrangement it resists like a block, as if it were solid. Itssides cannot yield; it coheres spontaneously, and not by the closeness ofits rivets; and its perfect union of the materials enables it to defy theroughest seas.

"These two hulls are composed of steel plates, whose density is from.7 to .8 that of water. The first is not less than two inches and a halfthick and weighs 394 tons. The second envelope, the keel, twenty incheshigh and ten thick, weighs only sixty-two tons. The engine, the ballast,the several accessories and apparatus appendages, the partitions andbulkheads, weigh 961.62 tons. Do you follow all this?"

"I do."

"Then, when the Nautilus is afloat under these circumstances,one-tenth is out of the water. Now, if I have made reservoirs of a sizeequal to this tenth, or capable of holding 150 tons, and if I fill them

with water, the boat, weighing then 1,507 tons, will be completelyimmersed. That would happen, Professor. These reservoirs are in the lowerpart of the Nautilus. I turn on taps and they fill, and the vessel sinksthat had just been level with the surface." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 69

"Well, Captain, but now we come to the real difficulty. I canunderstand your rising to the surface; but, diving below the surface, doesnot your submarine contrivance encounter a pressure, and consequently



undergo an upward thrust of one atmosphere for every thirty feet of water,just about fifteen pounds per square inch?"

"Just so, sir."

"Then, unless you quite fill the Nautilus, I do not see how you candraw it down to those depths."

"Professor, you must not confound statics with dynamics or you will beexposed to grave errors. There is very little labour spent in attaining thelower regions of the ocean, for all bodies have a tendency to sink. When Iwanted to find out the necessary increase of weight required to sink theNautilus, I had only to calculate the reduction of volume that sea-wateracquires according to the depth."

"That is evident."

"Now, if water is not absolutely incompressible, it is at leastcapable of very slight compression. Indeed, after the most recentcalculations this reduction is only .000436 of an atmosphere for eachthirty feet of depth. If we want to sink 3,000 feet, I should keep accountof the reduction of bulk under a pressure equal to that of a column ofwater of a thousand feet. The calculation is easily verified. Now, I havesupplementary reservoirs capable of holding a hundred tons. Therefore I can

sink to a considerable depth. When I wish to rise to the level of the sea,I only let off the water, and empty all the reservoirs if I want theNautilus to emerge from the tenth part of her total capacity."

I had nothing to object to these reasonings.

"I admit your calculations, Captain," I replied; "I should be wrong todispute them since daily experience confirms them; but I foresee a realdifficulty in the way."

"What, sir?"

"When you are about 1,000 feet deep, the walls of the Nautilus bear a

pressure of 100 atmospheres. If, then, just now you were to empty thesupplementary reservoirs, to lighten the vessel, and to go up to thesurface, the pumps ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 70

must overcome the pressure of 100 atmospheres, which is 1,500 lbs. persquare inch. From that a power -- "

"That electricity alone can give," said the Captain, hastily. "Irepeat, sir, that the dynamic power of my engines is almost infinite. Thepumps of the Nautilus have an enormous power, as you must have observedwhen their jets of water burst like a torrent upon the Abraham Lincoln.

Besides, I use subsidiary reservoirs only to attain a mean depth of 750 to1,000 fathoms, and that with a view of managing my machines. Also, when Ihave a mind to visit the depths of the ocean five or six mlles below thesurface, I make use of slower but not less infallible means."

"What are they, Captain?"

"That involves my telling you how the Nautilus is worked."

"I am impatient to learn."



"To steer this boat to starboard or port, to turn, in a word,following a horizontal plan, I use an ordinary rudder fixed on the back ofthe stern-post, and with one wheel and some tackle to steer by. But I canalso make the Nautilus rise and sink, and sink and rise, by a verticalmovement by means of two inclined planes fastened to its sides, oppositethe centre of flotation, planes that move in every direction, and that areworked by powerful levers from the interior. If the planes are keptparallel with the boat, it moves horizontally. If slanted, the Nautilus,according to this inclination, and under the influence of the screw, eithersinks diagonally or rises diagonally as it suits me. And even if I wish torise more quickly to the surface, I ship the screw, and the pressure of thewater causes the Nautilus to rise vertically like a balloon filled withhydrogen."

"Bravo, Captain! But how can the steersman follow the route in themiddle of the waters?"

"The steersman is placed in a glazed box, that is raised about thehull of the Nautilus, and furnished with lenses."

"Are these lenses capable of resisting such pressure?"

"Perfectly. Glass, which breaks at a blow, is, nevertheless, capable

of offering considerable resistance. During some experiments of fishing byelectric light in 1864 in the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 71

Northern Seas, we saw plates less than a third of an inch thick resist apressure of sixteen atmospheres. Now, the glass that I use is not less thanthirty times thicker."

"Granted. But, after all, in order to see, the light must exceed thedarkness, and in the midst of the darkness in the water, how can you see?"

"Behind the steersman's cage is placed a powerful electric reflector,

the rays from which light up the sea for half a mile in front."

"Ah! bravo, bravo, Captain! Now I can account for this phosphorescencein the supposed narwhal that puzzled us so. I now ask you if the boardingof the Nautilus* and of the Scotia, that has made such a noise, has beenthe result of a chance rencontre?"

"Quite accidental, sir. I was sailing only one fathom below thesurface of the water when the shock came. It had no bad result."

"None, sir. But now, about your rencontre with the Abraham Lincoln?"

"Professor, I am sorry for one of the best vessels in the American

navy; but they attacked me, and I was bound to defend myself. I contentedmyself, however, with putting the frigate hors de combat; she will not haveany difficulty in getting repaired at the next port."

"Ah, Commander! your Nautilus is certainly a marvellous boat."

"Yes, Professor; and I love it as if it were part of myself. If dangerthreatens one of your vessels on the ocean, the first impression is thefeeling of an abyss above and below. On the Nautilus men's hearts neverfail them. No defects to be afraid of, for the double shell is as firm as



iron; no rigging to attend to; no sails for the wind to carry away; noboilers to burst; no fire to fear, for the vessel is made of iron, not ofwood; no coal to run short, for electricity is the only mechanical agent;no collision to fear, for it alone swims in deep water; no tempest tobrave, for when it dives below the water it reaches absolute tranquillity.There, sir! that is the perfection of vessels! And if it is true that theengineer has more confidence in the vessel than the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 72

builder, and the builder than the captain himself, you understand the trustI repose in my Nautilus; for I am at once captain, builder, and engineer."

"But how could you construct this wonderful Nautilus in secret?"

"Each separate portion, M. Aronnax, was brought from different partsof the globe."

"But these parts had to be put together and arranged?"

"Professor, I had set up my workshops upon a desert island in theocean. There my workmen, that is to say, the brave men that I instructedand educated, and myself have put together our Nautilus. Then, when thework was finished, fire destroyed all trace of our proceedings on this

island, that I could have jumped over if I had liked."

"Then the cost of this vessel is great?"

"M. Aronnax, an iron vessel costs L145 per ton. Now the Nautilusweighed 1,500. It came therefore to L67,500, and L80,000 more for fittingit up, and about L200,000, with the works of art and the collections itcontains."

"One last question, Captain Nemo."

"Ask it, Professor."

"You are rich?"

"Immensely rich, sir; and I could, without missing it, pay thenational debt of France."

I stared at the singular person who spoke thus. Was he playing upon mycredulity? The future would decide that.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.13

THE BLACK RIVER

THE portion of the terrestrial globe which is covered by water isestimated at upwards of eighty millions of acres. This fluid mass comprisestwo billions two hundred and fifty millions of cubic miles, forming aspherical body of a diameter of sixty leagues, the weight of which would bethree quintillions of tons. To comprehend the meaning of these figures, itis necessary to observe that a quintillion is ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 73



observation easy. Nothing was in sight. Not a quicksand, not an island. Avast desert.

Captain Nemo, by the help of his sextant, took the altitude of thesun, which ought also to give the latitude. He waited for some moments tillits disc touched the horizon. Whilst taking observations not a musclemoved, the instrument could not have been more motionless in a hand ofmarble.

"Twelve o'clock, sir," said he. "When you like -- "

I cast a last look upon the sea, slightly yellowed by the Japanesecoast, and descended to the saloon.

"And now, sir, I leave you to your studies," added the Captain; "ourcourse is E.N.E., our depth is twenty-six fathoms. Here are maps on a largescale by which you may follow it. The saloon is at your disposal, and, withyour permission, I will retire." Captain Nemo bowed, and I remained alone,lost in thoughts all bearing on the commander of the Nautilus.

For a whole hour was I deep in these reflections, seeking to piercethis mystery so interesting to me. Then my eyes fell upon the vastplanisphere spread upon the table, and I placed my finger on the very spotwhere the given latitude and longitude crossed.

The sea has its large rivers like the continents. They are ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 75

special currents known by their temperature and their colour. The mostremarkable of these is known by the name of the Gulf Stream. Science hasdecided on the globe the direction of five principal currents: one in theNorth Atlantic, a second in the South, a third in the North Pacific, afourth in the South, and a fifth in the Southern Indian Ocean. It is evenprobable that a sixth current existed at one time or another in theNorthern Indian Ocean, when the Caspian and Aral Seas formed but one vastsheet of water.

At this point indicated on the planisphere one of these currents wasrolling, the Kuro-Scivo of the Japanese, the Black River, which, leavingthe Gulf of Bengal, where it is warmed by the perpendicular rays of atropical sun, crosses the Straits of Malacca along the coast of Asia, turnsinto the North Pacific to the Aleutian Islands, carrying with it trunks ofcamphor-trees and other indigenous productions, and edging the waves of theocean with the pure indigo of its warm water. It was this current that theNautilus was to follow. I followed it with my eye; saw it lose itself inthe vastness of the Pacific, and felt myself drawn with it, when Ned Landand Conseil appeared at the door of the saloon.

My two brave companions remained petrified at the sight of the wonders

spread before them.

"Where are we, where are we?" exclaimed the Canadian. "In the museumat Quebec?"

"My friends," I answered, making a sign for them to enter, "you arenot in Canada, but on board the Nautilus, fifty yards below the level ofthe sea."

"But, M. Aronnax," said Ned Land, "can you tell me how many men there



are on board? Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred?"

"I cannot answer you, Mr. Land; it is better to abandon for a time allidea of seizing the Nautilus or escaping from it. This ship is amasterpiece of modern industry, and I should be sorry not to have seen it.Many people would accept the situation forced upon us, if only to moveamongst such wonders. So be quiet and let us try and see what passes aroundus." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 76

"See!" exclaimed the harpooner, "but we can see nothing in this ironprison! We are walking -- we are sailing -- blindly."

Ned Land had scarcely pronounced these words when all was suddenlydarkness. The luminous ceiling was gone, and so rapidly that my eyesreceived a painful impression.

We remained mute, not stirring, and not knowing what surprise awaitedus, whether agreeable or disagreeable. A sliding noise was heard: one wouldhave said that panels were working at the sides of the Nautilus.

"It is the end of the end!" said Ned Land.

Suddenly light broke at each side of the saloon, through two oblongopenings. The liquid mass appeared vividly lit up by the electric gleam.Two crystal plates separated us from the sea. At first I trembled at thethought that this frail partition might break, but strong bands of copperbound them, giving an almost infinite power of resistance.

The sea was distinctly visible for a mile all round the Nautilus. Whata spectacle! What pen can describe it? Who could paint the effects of thelight through those transparent sheets of water, and the softness of thesuccessive gradations from the lower to the superior strata of the ocean?

We know the transparency of the sea and that its clearness is farbeyond that of rock-water. The mineral and organic substances which it

holds in suspension heightens its transparency. In certain parts of theocean at the Antilles, under seventy-five fathoms of water, can be seenwith surprising clearness a bed of sand. The penetrating power of the solarrays does not seem to cease for a depth of one hundred and fifty fathoms.But in this middle fluid travelled over by the Nautilus, the electricbrightness was produced even in the bosom of the waves. It was no longerluminous water, but liquid light.

On each side a window opened into this unexplored abyss. The obscurityof the saloon showed to advantage the brightness outside, and we looked outas if this pure crystal had been the glass of an immense aquarium.

"You wished to see, friend Ned; well, you see now."

"Curious! curious!" muttered the Canadian, who, forgetting ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 77

his ill-temper, seemed to submit to some irresistible attraction; "and onewould come further than this to admire such a sight!"

"Ah!" thought I to myself, "I understand the life of this man; he hasmade a world apart for himself, in which he treasures all his greatest



As soon as I was dressed I went into the saloon. It was deserted. Iplunged into the study of the shell treasures hidden behind the glasses.

The whole day passed without my being honoured by a visit from CaptainNemo. The panels of the saloon did not open. Perhaps they did not wish usto tire of these beautiful things.

The course of the Nautilus was E.N.E., her speed twelve knots, thedepth below the surface between twenty-five and thirty fathoms.

The next day, 10th of November, the same desertion, the same solitude.I did not see one of the ship's crew: Ned and Conseil spent the greaterpart of the day with me. They were astonished at the puzzling absence ofthe Captain. Was ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 79

this singular man ill? -- had he altered his intentions with regard to us?

After all, as Conseil said, we enjoyed perfect liberty, we weredelicately and abundantly fed. Our host kept to his terms of the treaty. Wecould not complain, and, indeed, the singularity of our fate reserved suchwonderful compensation for us that we had no right to accuse it as yet.

That day I commenced the journal of these adventures which has enabledme to relate them with more scrupulous exactitude and minute detail.

11th November, early in the morning. The fresh air spreading over theinterior of the Nautilus told me that we had come to the surface of theocean to renew our supply of oxygen. I directed my steps to the centralstaircase, and mounted the platform.

It was six o'clock, the weather was cloudy, the sea grey, but calm.Scarcely a billow. Captain Nemo, whom I hoped to meet, would he be there? Isaw no one but the steersman imprisoned in his glass cage. Seated upon theprojection formed by the hull of the pinnace, I inhaled the salt breeze

with delight.

By degrees the fog disappeared under the action of the sun's rays, theradiant orb rose from behind the eastern horizon. The sea flamed under itsglance like a train of gunpowder. The clouds scattered in the heights werecoloured with lively tints of beautiful shades, and numerous "mare'stails," which betokened wind for that day. But what was wind to thisNautilus, which tempests could not frighten!

I was admiring this joyous rising of the sun, so gay, and solife-giving, when I heard steps approaching the platform. I was prepared tosalute Captain Nemo, but it was his second (whom I had already seen on theCaptain's first visit) who appeared. He advanced on the platform, not

seeming to see me. With his powerful glass to his eye, he scanned everypoint of the horizon with great attention. This examination over, heapproached the panel and pronounced a sentence in exactly these terms. Ihave remembered ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 80

it, for every morning it was repeated under exactly the same conditions. Itwas thus worded:



Ned Land shrugged his shoulders without speaking, and Conseil and heleft me.

After supper, which was served by the steward, mute and impassive, Iwent to bed, not without some anxiety.

The next morning, the 17th of November, on awakening, I felt that theNautilus was perfectly still. I dressed quickly and entered the saloon.

Captain Nemo was there, waiting for me. He rose, bowed, and asked meif it was convenient for me to accompany him. As he made no allusion to hisabsence during the last eight days, I did not mention it, and simplyanswered that my companions and myself were ready to follow him.

We entered the dining-room, where breakfast was served.

"M. Aronnax," said the Captain, "pray, share my breakfast withoutceremony; we will chat as we eat. For, though I promised you a walk in theforest, I did not undertake to find hotels there. So breakfast as a man whowill most likely not have his dinner till very late."

I did honour to the repast. It was composed of several kinds of fish,and slices of sea-cucumber, and different sorts of seaweed. Our drinkconsisted of pure water, to which the Captain added some drops of a

fermented liquor, extracted ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 82

by the Kamschatcha method from a seaweed known under the name of Rhodomeniapalmata. Captain Nemo ate at first without saying a word. Then he began:

"Sir, when I proposed to you to hunt in my submarine forest of Crespo,you evidently thought me mad. Sir, you should never judge lightly of anyman."

"But Captain, believe me -- "

"Be kind enough to listen, and you will then see whether you have anycause to accuse me of folly and contradiction."

"I listen."

"You know as well as I do, Professor, that man can live under water,providing he carries with him a sufficient supply of breathable air. Insubmarine works, the workman, clad in an impervious dress, with his head ina metal helmet, receives air from above by means of forcing pumps andregulators."

"That is a diving apparatus," said I.

"Just so, but under these conditions the man is not at liberty; he isattached to the pump which sends him air through an india-rubber tube, andif we were obliged to be thus held to the Nautilus, we could not go far."

"And the means of getting free?" I asked.

"It is to use the Rouquayrol apparatus, invented by two of your owncountrymen, which I have brought to perfection for my own use, and whichwill allow you to risk yourself under these new physiological conditionswithout any organ whatever suffering. It consists of a reservoir of thick



under these conditions. But I repeat, having no powder, I use air undergreat pressure, which the pumps of the Nautilus furnish abundantly."

"But this air must be rapidly used?"

"Well, have I not my Rouquayrol reservoir, which can furnish it atneed? A tap is all that is required. Besides M. Aronnax, you must seeyourself that, during our submarine hunt, we can spend but little air andbut few balls."

"But it seems to me that in this twilight, and in the midst of thisfluid, which is very dense compared with the atmosphere, shots could not gofar, nor easily prove mortal."

"Sir, on the contrary, with this gun every blow is mortal; and,however lightly the animal is touched, it falls as if struck by athunderbolt."

"Why?"

"Because the balls sent by this gun are not ordinary balls, but littlecases of glass. These glass cases are covered with a case of steel, andweighted with a pellet of lead; they are real Leyden bottles, into which

the electricity is forced to a very high tension. With the slightest shockthey are discharged, and the animal, however strong it may be, falls dead.I must tell you that these cases are size number four, and that the chargefor an ordinary gun would be ten."

"I will argue no longer," I replied, rising from the table. "I havenothing left me but to take my gun. At all events, I will go where you go."

Captain Nemo then led me aft; and in passing before Ned's andConseil's cabin, I called my two companions, who followed promptly. We thencame to a cell near the machinery-room, in which we put on ourwalking-dress.

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Chapter 1.15

A WALK ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

THIS cell was, to speak correctly, the arsenal and wardrobe of theNautilus. A dozen diving apparatuses hung from the partition waiting ouruse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 85

Ned Land, on seeing them, showed evident repugnance to dress himself

in one.

"But, my worthy Ned, the forests of the Island of Crespo are nothingbut submarine forests."

"Good!" said the disappointed harpooner, who saw his dreams of freshmeat fade away. "And you, M. Aronnax, are you going to dress yourself inthose clothes?"

"There is no alternative, Master Ned."



"As you please, sir," replied the harpooner, shrugging his shoulders;"but, as for me, unless I am forced, I will never get into one."

"No one will force you, Master Ned," said Captain Nemo.

"Is Conseil going to risk it?" asked Ned.

"I follow my master wherever he goes," replied Conseil.

At the Captain's call two of the ship's crew came to help us dress inthese heavy and impervious clothes, made of india-rubber without seam, andconstructed expressly to resist considerable pressure. One would havethought it a suit of armour, both supple and resisting. This suit formedtrousers and waistcoat. The trousers were finished off with thick boots,weighted with heavy leaden soles. The texture of the waistcoat was heldtogether by bands of copper, which crossed the chest, protecting it fromthe great pressure of the water, and leaving the lungs free to act; thesleeves ended in gloves, which in no way restrained the movement of thehands. There was a vast difference noticeable between these consummateapparatuses and the old cork breastplates, jackets, and other contrivancesin vogue during the eighteenth century.

Captain Nemo and one of his companions (a sort of Hercules, who must

have possessed great strength), Conseil and myself were soon enveloped inthe dresses. There remained nothing more to be done but to enclose ourheads in the metal box. But, before proceeding to this operation, I askedthe Captain's permission to examine the guns.

One of the Nautilus men gave me a simple gun, the butt end of which,made of steel, hollow in the centre, was rather large. It served as areservoir for compressed air, which a valve, worked by a spring, allowed toescape into ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 86

a metal tube. A box of projectiles in a groove in the thickness of the butt

end contained about twenty of these electric balls, which, by means of aspring, were forced into the barrel of the gun. As soon as one shot wasfired, another was ready.

"Captain Nemo," said I, "this arm is perfect, and easily handled: Ionly ask to be allowed to try it. But how shall we gain the bottom of thesea?"

"At this moment, Professor, the Nautilus is stranded in five fathoms,and we have nothing to do but to start."

"But how shall we get off?"

"You shall see."

Captain Nemo thrust his head into the helmet, Conseil and I did thesame, not without hearing an ironical "Good sport!" from the Canadian. Theupper part of our dress terminated in a copper collar upon which wasscrewed the metal helmet. Three holes, protected by thick glass, allowed usto see in all directions, by simply turning our head in the interior of thehead-dress. As soon as it was in position, the Rouquayrol apparatus on ourbacks began to act; and, for my part, I could breathe with ease.



a feast for the eyes, this complication of coloured tints, a perfectkaleidoscope of green, yellow, orange, violet, indigo, and blue; in oneword, the whole palette of an enthusiastic colourist! Why could I notcommunicate to Conseil the lively sensations which were mounting to mybrain, and rival him in expressions of admiration? For aught I knew,Captain Nemo and his companion might be able to exchange thoughts by meansof signs previously agreed upon. So, for want of better, I talked tomyself; I declaimed in the copper box which covered my head, therebyexpending more air in vain words than was perhaps wise.

Various kinds of isis, clusters of pure tuft-coral, prickly fungi, andanemones formed a brilliant garden of flowers, decked with theircollarettes of blue tentacles, sea-stars studding the sandy bottom. It wasa real grief to me to crush under my feet the brilliant specimens ofmolluscs which strewed the ground by thousands, of hammerheads, donaciae(veritable bounding shells), of staircases, and red helmet-shells,angel-wings, and many others produced by this inexhaustible ocean. But wewere bound to walk, so we went on, whilst above our heads waved medusaewhose umbrellas of opal or rose-pink, escalloped with a band of blue,sheltered us from the rays of the sun and fiery pelagiae, which, in thedarkness, would have strewn our path with phosphorescent light.

All these wonders I saw in the space of a quarter of a mile, scarcelystopping, and following Captain Nemo, who beckoned me on by signs. Soon the

nature of the soil changed; to the sandy plain succeeded an extent of slimymud which the Americans call "ooze," composed of equal parts of siliciousand calcareous shells. We then travelled over a plain of seaweed of wildand luxuriant vegetation. This sward was of close texture, and soft to thefeet, and rivalled the softest carpet woven by the hand of man. But whilstverdure was spread at our feet, it did not abandon our heads. A lightnetwork of marine plants, of that inexhaustible family of seaweeds of whichmore than two thousand kinds are known, grew on the surface of the water. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 89

I noticed that the green plants kept nearer the top of the sea, whilst thered were at a greater depth, leaving to the black or brown the care of

forming gardens and parterres in the remote beds of the ocean.

We had quitted the Nautilus about an hour and a half. It was nearnoon; I knew by the perpendicularity of the sun's rays, which were nolonger refracted. The magical colours disappeared by degrees, and theshades of emerald and sapphire were effaced. We walked with a regular step,which rang upon the ground with astonishing intensity; the slightest noisewas transmitted with a quickness to which the ear is unaccustomed on theearth; indeed, water is a better conductor of sound than air, in the ratioof four to one. At this period the earth sloped downwards; the light took auniform tint. We were at a depth of a hundred and five yards and twentyinches, undergoing a pressure of six atmospheres.

At this depth I could still see the rays of the sun, though feebly; totheir intense brilliancy had succeeded a reddish twilight, the lowest statebetween day and night; but we could still see well enough; it was notnecessary to resort to the Ruhmkorff apparatus as yet. At this momentCaptain Nemo stopped; he waited till I joined him, and then pointed to anobscure mass, looming in the shadow, at a short distance.

"It is the forest of the Island of Crespo," thought I; and I was notmistaken.



The return began. Captain Nemo had returned to the head of his littleband, directing their course without hesitation. I thought we were notfollowing the same road to return to the Nautilus. The new road was verysteep, and consequently very painful. We approached the surface of the searapidly. But this return to the upper strata was not so sudden as to causerelief from the pressure too rapidly, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 93

which might have produced serious disorder in our organisation, and broughton internal lesions, so fatal to divers. Very soon light reappeared andgrew, and, the sun being low on the horizon, the refraction edged thedifferent objects with a spectral ring. At ten yards and a half deep, wewalked amidst a shoal of little fishes of all kinds, more numerous than thebirds of the air, and also more agile; but no aquatic game worthy of a shothad as yet met our gaze, when at that moment I saw the Captain shoulder hisgun quickly, and follow a moving object into the shrubs. He fired; I hearda slight hissing, and a creature fell stunned at some distance from us. Itwas a magnificent sea-otter, an enhydrus, the only exclusively marinequadruped. This otter was five feet long, and must have been very valuable.Its skin, chestnut- brown above and silvery underneath, would have made oneof those beautiful furs so sought after in the Russian and Chinese markets:the fineness and the lustre of its coat would certainly fetch L80. Iadmired this curious mammal, with its rounded head ornamented with short

ears, its round eyes, and white whiskers like those of a cat, with webbedfeet and nails, and tufted tail. This precious animal, hunted and trackedby fishermen, has now become very rare, and taken refuge chiefly in thenorthern parts of the Pacific, or probably its race would soon becomeextinct.

Captain Nemo's companion took the beast, threw it over his shoulder,and we continued our journey. For one hour a plain of sand lay stretchedbefore us. Sometimes it rose to within two yards and some inches of thesurface of the water. I then saw our image clearly reflected, drawninversely, and above us appeared an identical group reflecting ourmovements and our actions; in a word, like us in every point, except thatthey walked with their heads downward and their feet in the air.

Another effect I noticed, which was the passage of thick clouds whichformed and vanished rapidly; but on reflection I understood that theseseeming clouds were due to the varying thickness of the reeds at thebottom, and I could even see the fleecy foam which their broken topsmultiplied on the water, and the shadows of large birds ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 94

passing above our heads, whose rapid flight I could discern on the surfaceof the sea.

On this occasion I was witness to one of the finest gunshots which

ever made the nerves of a hunter thrill. A large bird of great breadth ofwing, clearly visible, approached, hovering over us. Captain Nemo'scompanion shouldered his gun and fired, when it was only a few yards abovethe waves. The creature fell stunned, and the force of its fall brought itwithin the reach of dexterous hunter's grasp. It was an albatross of thefinest kind.

Our march had not been interrupted by this incident. For two hours wefollowed these sandy plains, then fields of algae very disagreeable tocross. Candidly, I could do no more when I saw a glimmer of light, which,



for a half mile, broke the darkness of the waters. It was the lantern ofthe Nautilus. Before twenty minutes were over we should be on board, and Ishould be able to breathe with ease, for it seemed that my reservoirsupplied air very deficient in oxygen. But I did not reckon on anaccidental meeting which delayed our arrival for some time.

I had remained some steps behind, when I presently saw Captain Nemocoming hurriedly towards me. With his strong hand he bent me to the ground,his companion doing the same to Conseil. At first I knew not what to thinkof this sudden attack, but I was soon reassured by seeing the Captain liedown beside me, and remain immovable.

I was stretched on the ground, just under the shelter of a bush ofalgae, when, raising my head, I saw some enormous mass, castingphosphorescent gleams, pass blusteringly by.

My blood froze in my veins as I recognised two formidable sharks whichthreatened us. It was a couple of tintoreas, terrible creatures, withenormous tails and a dun glassy stare, the phosphorescent matter ejectedfrom holes pierced around the muzzle. Monstrous brutes! which would crush awhole man in their iron jaws. I did not know whether Conseil stopped toclassify them; for my part, I noticed their silver bellies, and their hugemouths bristling with teeth, ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 95

from a very unscientific point of view, and more as a possible victim thanas a naturalist.

Happily the voracious creatures do not see well. They passed withoutseeing us, brushing us with their brownish fins, and we escaped by amiracle from a danger certainly greater than meeting a tiger full-face inthe forest. Half an hour after, guided by the electric light we reached theNautilus. The outside door had been left open, and Captain Nemo closed itas soon as we had entered the first cell. He then pressed a knob. I heardthe pumps working in the midst of the vessel, I felt the water sinking fromaround me, and in a few moments the cell was entirely empty. The inside

door then opened, and we entered the vestry.

There our diving-dress was taken off, not without some trouble, and,fairly worn out from want of food and sleep, I returned to my room, ingreat wonder at this surprising excursion at the bottom of the sea.

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Chapter 1.17

FOUR THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE PACIFIC

THE next morning, the 18th of November, I had quite recovered from my

fatigues of the day before, and I went up on to the platform, just as thesecond lieutenant was uttering his daily phrase.

I was admiring the magnificent aspect of the ocean when Captain Nemoappeared. He did not seem to be aware of my presence, and began a series ofastronomical observations. Then, when he had finished, he went and leant onthe cage of the watch-light, and gazed abstractedly on the ocean. In themeantime, a number of the sailors of the Nautilus, all strong and healthymen, had come up onto the platform. They came to draw up the nets that hadbeen laid all night. These sailors were evidently of different nations,



although the European type was visible in all of them. I recognised someunmistakable Irishmen, Frenchmen, some Sclaves, and a Greek, or a Candiote.They were civil, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 96

and only used that odd language among themselves, the origin of which Icould not guess, neither could I question them.

The nets were hauled in. They were a large kind of "chaluts," likethose on the Normandy coasts, great pockets that the waves and a chainfixed in the smaller meshes kept open. These pockets, drawn by iron poles,swept through the water, and gathered in everything in their way. That daythey brought up curious specimens from those productive coasts.

I reckoned that the haul had brought in more than nine hundredweightof fish. It was a fine haul, but not to be wondered at. Indeed, the netsare let down for several hours, and enclose in their meshes an infinitevariety. We had no lack of excellent food, and the rapidity of the Nautilusand the attraction of the electric light could always renew our supply.These several productions of the sea were immediately lowered through thepanel to the steward's room, some to be eaten fresh, and others pickled.

The fishing ended, the provision of air renewed, I thought that the

Nautilus was about to continue its submarine excursion, and was preparingto return to my room, when, without further preamble, the Captain turned tome, saying:

"Professor, is not this ocean gifted with real life? It has itstempers and its gentle moods. Yesterday it slept as we did, and now it haswoke after a quiet night. Look!" he continued, "it wakes under the caressesof the sun. It is going to renew its diurnal existence. It is aninteresting study to watch the play of its organisation. It has a pulse,arteries, spasms; and I agree with the learned Maury, who discovered in ita circulation as real as the circulation of blood in animals.

"Yes, the ocean has indeed circulation, and to promote it, the Creator

has caused things to multiply in it -- caloric, salt, and animalculae."

When Captain Nemo spoke thus, he seemed altogether changed, andaroused an extraordinary emotion in me.

"Also," he added, "true existence is there; and I can imagine thefoundations of nautical towns, clusters of submarine ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 97

houses, which, like the Nautilus, would ascend every morning to breathe atthe surface of the water, free towns, independent cities. Yet who knowswhether some despot -- "

Captain Nemo finished his sentence with a violent gesture. Then,addressing me as if to chase away some sorrowful thought:

"M. Aronnax," he asked. "do you know the depth of the ocean?"

"I only know, Captain, what the principal soundings have taught us."

"Could you tell me them, so that I can suit them to my purpose?"



"These are some," I replied, "that I remember. If I am not mistaken, adepth of 8,000 yards has been found in the North Atlantic, and 2,500 yardsin the Mediterranean. The most remarkable soundings have been made in theSouth Atlantic, near the thirty-fifth parallel, and they gave 12,000 yards,14,000 yards, and 15,000 yards. To sum up all, it is reckoned that if thebottom of the sea were levelled, its mean depth would be about one andthree-quarter leagues."

"Well, Professor," replied the Captain, "we shall show you better thanthat I hope. As to the mean depth of this part of the Pacific, I tell youit is only 4,000 yards."

Having said this, Captain Nemo went towards the panel, and disappeareddown the ladder. I followed him, and went into the large drawing-room. Thescrew was immediately put in motion, and the log gave twenty miles an hour.

During the days and weeks that passed, Captain Nemo was very sparingof his visits. I seldom saw him. The lieutenant pricked the ship's courseregularly on the chart, so I could always tell exactly the route of theNautilus.

Nearly every day, for some time, the panels of the drawing-room wereopened, and we were never tired of penetrating the mysteries of thesubmarine world.

The general direction of the Nautilus was south-east, and it keptbetween 100 and 150 yards of depth. One day, however, I do not know why,being drawn diagonally by ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 98

means of the inclined planes, it touched the bed of the sea. Thethermometer indicated a temperature of 4.25 (cent.): a temperature that atthis depth seemed common to all latitudes.

At three o'clock in the morning of the 26th of November the Nautiluscrossed the tropic of Cancer at 172° long. On 27th instant it sighted the

Sandwich Islands, where Cook died, February 14, 1779. We had then gone4,860 leagues from our starting-point. In the morning, when I went on theplatform, I saw two miles to windward, Hawaii, the largest of the sevenislands that form the group. I saw clearly the cultivated ranges, and theseveral mountain- chains that run parallel with the side, and the volcanoesthat overtop Mouna-Rea, which rise 5,000 yards above the level of the sea.Besides other things the nets brought up, were several flabellariae andgraceful polypi, that are peculiar to that part of the ocean. The directionof the Nautilus was still to the south-east. It crossed the equatorDecember 1, in 142° long.; and on the 4th of the same month, after crossingrapidly and without anything in particular occurring, we sighted theMarquesas group. I saw, three miles off, Martin's peak in Nouka-Hiva, thelargest of the group that belongs to France. I only saw the woody mountains

against the horizon, because Captain Nemo did not wish to bring the ship tothe wind. There the nets brought up beautiful specimens of fish: some withazure fins and tails like gold, the flesh of which is unrivalled; somenearly destitute of scales, but of exquisite flavour; others, with bonyjaws, and yellow-tinged gills, as good as bonitos; all fish that would beof use to us. After leaving these charming islands protected by the Frenchflag, from the 4th to the 11th of December the Nautilus sailed over about2,000 miles.

During the daytime of the 11th of December I was busy reading in the



"And I can visit the celebrated islands where the Boussole and theAstrolabe struck?"

"If you like, Professor."

"When shall we be there?"

"We are there now."

Followed by Captain Nemo, I went up on to the platform, and greedilyscanned the horizon.

To the N.E. two volcanic islands emerged of unequal size, surroundedby a coral reef that measured forty miles in circumference. We were closeto Vanikoro, really the one to which Dumont d'Urville gave the name of Islede la Recherche, and exactly facing the little harbour of Vanou, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 102

situated in 16° 4' S. lat., and 164° 32' E. long. The earth seemed coveredwith verdure from the shore to the summits in the interior, that werecrowned by Mount Kapogo, 476 feet high. The Nautilus, having passed theouter belt of rocks by a narrow strait, found itself among breakers wherethe sea was from thirty to forty fathoms deep. Under the verdant shade of

some mangroves I perceived some savages, who appeared greatly surprised atour approach. In the long black body, moving between wind and water, didthey not see some formidable cetacean that they regarded with suspicion?

Just then Captain Nemo asked me what I knew about the wreck of LaPerouse.

"Only what everyone knows, Captain," I replied.

"And could you tell me what everyone knows about it?" be inquired,ironically.

"Easily."

I related to him all that the last works of Dumont d'Urville had madeknown -- works from which the following is a brief account.

La Perouse, and his second, Captain de Langle, were sent by Louis XVI,in 1785, on a voyage of circumnavigation. They embarked in the corvettesBoussole and the Astrolabe, neither of which were again heard of. In 1791,the French Government, justly uneasy as to the fate of these two sloops,manned two large merchantmen, the Recherche and the Esperance, which leftBrest the 28th of September under the command of Bruni d'Entrecasteaux.

Two months after, they learned from Bowen, commander of the Albemarle,that the debris of shipwrecked vessels had been seen on the coasts of New

Georgia. But D'Entrecasteaux, ignoring this communication -- ratheruncertain, besides -- directed his course towards the Admiralty Islands,mentioned in a report of Captain Hunter's as being the place where LaPerouse was wrecked.

They sought in vain. The Esperance and the Recherche passed beforeVanikoro without stopping there, and, in fact, this voyage was mostdisastrous, as it cost D'Entrecasteaux ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 103



his life, and those of two of his lieutenants, besides several of his crew.

Captain Dillon, a shrewd old Pacific sailor, was the first to findunmistakable traces of the wrecks. On the 15th of May, 1824, his vessel,the St. Patrick, passed close to Tikopia, one of the New Hebrides. There aLascar came alongside in a canoe, sold him the handle of a sword in silverthat bore the print of characters engraved on the hilt. The Lascarpretended that six years before, during a stay at Vanikoro, he had seen twoEuropeans that belonged to some vessels that had run aground on the reefssome years ago.

Dillon guessed that he meant La Perouse, whose disappearance hadtroubled the whole world. He tried to get on to Vanikoro, where, accordingto the Lascar, he would find numerous debris of the wreck, but winds andtides prevented him.

Dillon returned to Calcutta. There he interested the Asiatic Societyand the Indian Company in his discovery. A vessel, to which was given thename of the Recherche, was put at his disposal, and he set out, 23rdJanuary, 1827, accompanied by a French agent.

The Recherche, after touching at several points in the Pacific, castanchor before Vanikoro, 7th July, 1827, in that same harbour of Vanou where

the Nautilus was at this time.

There it collected numerous relics of the wreck -- iron utensils,anchors, pulley-strops, swivel-guns, an 18 lb. shot, fragments ofastronomical instruments, a piece of crown- work, and a bronze clock,bearing this inscription -- "Bazin m'a fait," the mark of the foundry ofthe arsenal at Brest about 1785. There could be no further doubt.

Dillon, having made all inquiries, stayed in the unlucky place tillOctober. Then he quitted Vanikoro, and directed his course towards NewZealand; put into Calcutta, 7th April, 1828, and returned to France, wherehe was warmly welcomed by Charles X.

But at the same time, without knowing Dillon's movements, Dumontd'Urville had already set out to find the scene of the wreck. And they hadlearned from a whaler ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 104

that some medals and a cross of St. Louis had been found in the hands ofsome savages of Louisiade and New Caledonia. Dumont d'Urville, commander ofthe Astrolabe, had then sailed, and two months after Dillon had leftVanikoro he put into Hobart Town. There he learned the results of Dillon'sinquiries, and found that a certain James Hobbs, second lieutenant of theUnion of Calcutta, after landing on an island situated 8° 18' S. lat., and156° 30' E. long., had seen some iron bars and red stuffs used by the

natives of these parts. Dumont d'Urville, much perplexed, and not knowinghow to credit the reports of low-class journals, decided to follow Dillon'strack.

On the 10th of February, 1828, the Astrolabe appeared off Tikopia, andtook as guide and interpreter a deserter found on the island; made his wayto Vanikoro, sighted it on the 12th inst., lay among the reefs until the14th, and not until the 20th did he cast anchor within the barrier in theharbour of Vanou.



On the 23rd, several officers went round the island and brought backsome unimportant trifles. The natives, adopting a system of denials andevasions, refused to take them to the unlucky place. This ambiguous conductled them to believe that the natives had ill-treated the castaways, andindeed they seemed to fear that Dumont d'Urville had come to avenge LaPerouse and his unfortunate crew.

However, on the 26th, appeased by some presents, and understandingthat they had no reprisals to fear, they led M. Jacquireot to the scene ofthe wreck.

There, in three or four fathoms of water, between the reefs of Pacouand Vanou, lay anchors, cannons, pigs of lead and iron, embedded in thelimy concretions. The large boat and the whaler belonging to the Astrolabewere sent to this place, and, not without some difficulty, their crewshauled up an anchor weighing 1,800 lbs., a brass gun, some pigs of iron,and two copper swivel-guns.

Dumont d'Urville, questioning the natives, learned too that LaPerouse, after losing both his vessels on the reefs of this island, hadconstructed a smaller boat, only to be lost a second time. Where, no oneknew. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 105

But the French Government, fearing that Dumont d'Urville was notacquainted with Dillon's movements, had sent the sloop Bayonnaise,commanded by Legoarant de Tromelin, to Vanikoro, which had been stationedon the west coast of America. The Bayonnaise cast her anchor beforeVanikoro some months after the departure of the Astrolabe, but found no newdocument; but stated that the savages had respected the monument to LaPerouse. That is the substance of what I told Captain Nemo.

"So," he said, "no one knows now where the third vessel perished thatwas constructed by the castaways on the island of Vanikoro?"

"No one knows."

Captain Nemo said nothing, but signed to me to follow him into thelarge saloon. The Nautilus sank several yards below the waves, and thepanels were opened.

I hastened to the aperture, and under the crustations of coral,covered with fungi, I recognised certain debris that the drags had not beenable to tear up -- iron stirrups, anchors, cannons, bullets, capstanfittings, the stem of a ship, all objects clearly proving the wreck of somevessel, and now carpeted with living flowers. While I was looking on thisdesolate scene, Captain Nemo said, in a sad voice:

"Commander La Perouse set out 7th December, 1785, with his vessels La

Boussole and the Astrolabe. He first cast anchor at Botany Bay, visited theFriendly Isles, New Caledonia, then directed his course towards Santa Cruz,and put into Namouka, one of the Hapai group. Then his vessels struck onthe unknown reefs of Vanikoro. The Boussole, which went first, ran agroundon the southerly coast. The Astrolabe went to its help, and ran agroundtoo. The first vessel was destroyed almost immediately. The second,stranded under the wind, resisted some days. The natives made the castawayswelcome. They installed themselves in the island, and constructed a smallerboat with the debris of the two large ones. Some sailors stayed willinglyat Vanikoro; the others, weak and ill, set out with La Perouse. They



directed their course towards the Solomon Islands, and there perished, witheverything, on the westerly coast of the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 106

chief island of the group, between Capes Deception and Satisfaction."

"How do you know that?"

"By this, that I found on the spot where was the last wreck."

Captain Nemo showed me a tin-plate box, stamped with the French arms,and corroded by the salt water. He opened it, and I saw a bundle of papers,yellow but still readable.

They were the instructions of the naval minister to Commander LaPerouse, annotated in the margin in Louis XVI's handwriting.

"Ah! it is a fine death for a sailor!" said Captain Nemo, at last. "Acoral tomb makes a quiet grave; and I trust that I and my comrades willfind no other."

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Chapter 1.19

TORRES STRAITS

DURING the night of the 27th or 28th of December, the Nautilus leftthe shores of Vanikoro with great speed. Her course was south-westerly, andin three days she had gone over the 750 leagues that separated it from LaPerouse's group and the south-east point of Papua.

Early on the 1st of January, 1863, Conseil joined me on the platform.

"Master, will you permit me to wish you a happy New Year?"

"What! Conseil; exactly as if I was at Paris in my study at the Jardindes Plantes? Well, I accept your good wishes, and thank you for them. Only,I will ask you what you mean by a 'Happy New Year' under our circumstances?Do you mean the year that will bring us to the end of our imprisonment, orthe year that sees us continue this strange voyage?"

"Really, I do not know how to answer, master. We are sure to seecurious things, and for the last two months we ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 107

have not had time for dullness. The last marvel is always the mostastonishing; and, if we continue this progression, I do not know how it

will end. It is my opinion that we shall never again see the like. I thinkthen, with no offence to master, that a happy year would be one in which wecould see everything."

On 2nd January we had made 11,340 miles, or 5,250 French leagues,since our starting-point in the Japan Seas. Before the ship's headstretched the dangerous shores of the coral sea, on the north-east coast ofAustralia. Our boat lay along some miles from the redoubtable bank on whichCook's vessel was lost, 10th June, 1770. The boat in which Cook was struckon a rock, and, if it did not sink, it was owing to a piece of coral that



was broken by the shock, and fixed itself in the broken keel.

I had wished to visit the reef, 360 leagues long, against which thesea, always rough, broke with great violence, with a noise like thunder.But just then the inclined planes drew the Nautilus down to a great depth,and I could see nothing of the high coral walls. I had to content myselfwith the different specimens of fish brought up by the nets. I remarked,among others, some germons, a species of mackerel as large as a tunny, withbluish sides, and striped with transverse bands, that disappear with theanimal's life. These fish followed us in shoals, and furnished us with verydelicate food. We took also a large number of giltheads, about one and ahalf inches long, tasting like dorys; and flying fire-fish like submarineswallows, which, in dark nights, light alternately the air and water withtheir phosphorescent light.

Two days after crossing the coral sea, 4th January, we sighted thePapuan coasts. On this occasion, Captain Nemo informed me that hisintention was to get into the Indian Ocean by the Strait of Torres. Hiscommunication ended there.

The Torres Straits are nearly thirty-four leagues wide; but they areobstructed by an innumerable quantity of islands, islets, breakers, androcks, that make its navigation almost impracticable; so that Captain Nemotook all needful precautions to cross them. The Nautilus, floating betwixt

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wind and water, went at a moderate pace. Her screw, like a cetacean's tail,beat the waves slowly.

Profiting by this, I and my two companions went up on to the desertedplatform. Before us was the steersman's cage, and I expected that CaptainNemo was there directing the course of the Nautilus. I had before me theexcellent charts of the Straits of Torres, and I consulted themattentively. Round the Nautilus the sea dashed furiously. The course of thewaves, that went from south-east to north-west at the rate of two and ahalf miles, broke on the coral that showed itself here and there.

"This is a bad sea!" remarked Ned Land.

"Detestable indeed, and one that does not suit a boat like theNautilus."

"The Captain must be very sure of his route, for I see there pieces ofcoral that would do for its keel if it only touched them slightly."

Indeed the situation was dangerous, but the Nautilus seemed to slidelike magic off these rocks. It did not follow the routes of the Astrolabeand the Zelee exactly, for they proved fatal to Dumont d'Urville. It boremore northwards, coasted the Islands of Murray, and came back to the

southwest towards Cumberland Passage. I thought it was going to pass it by,when, going back to north-west, it went through a large quantity of islandsand islets little known, towards the Island Sound and Canal Mauvais.

I wondered if Captain Nemo, foolishly imprudent, would steer hisvessel into that pass where Dumont d'Urville's two corvettes touched; when,swerving again, and cutting straight through to the west, he steered forthe Island of Gilboa.

It was then three in the afternoon. The tide began to recede, being



quite full. The Nautilus approached the island, that I still saw, with itsremarkable border of screw-pines. He stood off it at about two milesdistant. Suddenly a shock overthrew me. The Nautilus just touched a rock,and stayed immovable, laying lightly to port side.

When I rose, I perceived Captain Nemo and his lieutenant on theplatform. They were examining the situation ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 109

of the vessel, and exchanging words in their incomprehensible dialect.

She was situated thus: Two miles, on the starboard side, appearedGilboa, stretching from north to west like an immense arm. Towards thesouth and east some coral showed itself, left by the ebb. We had runaground, and in one of those seas where the tides are middling -- a sorrymatter for the floating of the Nautilus. However, the vessel had notsuffered, for her keel was solidly joined. But, if she could neither glideoff nor move, she ran the risk of being for ever fastened to these rocks,and then Captain Nemo's submarine vessel would be done for.

I was reflecting thus, when the Captain, cool and calm, always masterof himself, approached me.

"An accident?" I asked.

"No; an incident."

"But an incident that will oblige you perhaps to become an inhabitantof this land from which you flee?"

Captain Nemo looked at me curiously, and made a negative gesture, asmuch as to say that nothing would force him to set foot on terra firmaagain. Then he said:

"Besides, M. Aronnax, the Nautilus is not lost; it will carry you yetinto the midst of the marvels of the ocean. Our voyage is only begun, and I

do not wish to be deprived so soon of the honour of your company."

"However, Captain Nemo," I replied, without noticing the ironical turnof his phrase, "the Nautilus ran aground in open sea. Now the tides are notstrong in the Pacific; and, if you cannot lighten the Nautilus, I do notsee how it will be reinflated."

"The tides are not strong in the Pacific: you are right there,Professor; but in Torres Straits one finds still a difference of a yard anda half between the level of high and low seas. To-day is 4th January, andin five days the moon will be full. Now, I shall be very much astonished ifthat satellite does not raise these masses of water sufficiently, andrender me a service that I should be indebted to her for."

Having said this, Captain Nemo, followed by his lieutenant,redescended to the interior of the Nautilus. As to ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 110

the vessel, it moved not, and was immovable, as if the coralline polypi hadalready walled it up with their indestructible cement.

"Well, sir?" said Ned Land, who came up to me after the departure of



the Captain.

"Well, friend Ned, we will wait patiently for the tide on the 9thinstant; for it appears that the moon will have the goodness to put it offagain."

"Really?"

"Really."

"And this Captain is not going to cast anchor at all since the tidewill suffice?" said Conseil, simply.

The Canadian looked at Conseil, then shrugged his shoulders.

"Sir, you may believe me when I tell you that this piece of iron willnavigate neither on nor under the sea again; it is only fit to be sold forits weight. I think, therefore, that the time has come to part company withCaptain Nemo."

"Friend Ned, I do not despair of this stout Nautilus, as you do; andin four days we shall know what to hold to on the Pacific tides. Besides,flight might be possible if we were in sight of the English or Provencalcoast; but on the Papuan shores, it is another thing; and it will be time

enough to come to that extremity if the Nautilus does not recover itselfagain, which I look upon as a grave event."

"But do they know, at least, how to act circumspectly? There is anisland; on that island there are trees; under those trees, terrestrialanimals, bearers of cutlets and roast- beef, to which I would willinglygive a trial."

"In this, friend Ned is right," said Conseil, "and I agree with him.Could not master obtain permission from his friend Captain Nemo to put uson land, if only so as not to lose the habit of treading on the solid partsof our planet?"

"I can ask him, but he will refuse."

"Will master risk it?" asked Conseil, "and we shall know how to relyupon the Captain's amiability."

To my great surprise, Captain Nemo gave me the permission I asked for,and he gave it very agreeably, without ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 111

even exacting from me a promise to return to the vessel; but flight acrossNew Guinea might be very perilous, and I should not have counselled NedLand to attempt it. Better to be a prisoner on board the Nautilus than to

fall into the hands of the natives.

At eight o'clock, armed with guns and hatchets, we got off theNautilus. The sea was pretty calm; a slight breeze blew on land. Conseiland I rowing, we sped along quickly, and Ned steered in the straightpassage that the breakers left between them. The boat was well handled, andmoved rapidly.

Ned Land could not restrain his joy. He was like a prisoner that hadescaped from prison, and knew not that it was necessary to re-enter it.



"Meat! We are going to eat some meat; and what meat!" he replied."Real game! no, bread, indeed."

"I do not say that fish is not good; we must not abuse it; but a pieceof fresh venison, grilled on live coals, will agreeably vary our ordinarycourse."

"Glutton!" said Conseil, "he makes my mouth water."

"It remains to be seen," I said, "if these forests are full of game,and if the game is not such as will hunt the hunter himself."

"Well said, M. Aronnax," replied the Canadian, whose teeth seemedsharpened like the edge of a hatchet; "but I will eat tiger -- loin oftiger -- if there is no other quadruped on this island."

"Friend Ned is uneasy about it," said Conseil.

"Whatever it may be," continued Ned Land, "every animal with four pawswithout feathers, or with two paws without feathers, will be saluted by myfirst shot."

"Very well! Master Land's imprudences are beginning."

"Never fear, M. Aronnax," replied the Canadian; "I do not wanttwenty-five minutes to offer you a dish, of my sort."

At half-past eight the Nautilus boat ran softly aground on a heavysand, after having happily passed the coral reef that surrounds the Islandof Gilboa.

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Chapter 1.20

A FEW DAYS ON LAND

I WAS much impressed on touching land. Ned Land tried the soil withhis feet, as if to take possession of it. However, it was only two monthsbefore that we had become, according to Captain Nemo, "passengers on boardthe Nautilus," but, in reality, prisoners of its commander.

In a few minutes we were within musket-shot of the coast. The wholehorizon was hidden behind a beautiful curtain of forests. Enormous trees,the trunks of which attained a height of 200 feet, were tied to each otherby garlands of bindweed, real natural hammocks, which a light breeze

rocked. They were mimosas, figs, hibisci, and palm trees, mingled togetherin profusion; and under the shelter of their verdant vault grew orchids,leguminous plants, and ferns.

But, without noticing all these beautiful specimens of Papuan flora,the Canadian abandoned the agreeable for the useful. He discovered acoco-tree, beat down some of the fruit, broke them, and we drunk the milkand ate the nut with a satisfaction that protested against the ordinaryfood on the Nautilus.



"Excellent!" said Ned Land.

"Exquisite!" replied Conseil.

"And I do not think," said the Canadian, "that he would object to ourintroducing a cargo of coco-nuts on board."

"I do not think he would, but he would not taste them."

"So much the worse for him," said Conseil.

"And so much the better for us," replied Ned Land. "There will be morefor us."

"One word only, Master Land," I said to the harpooner, who wasbeginning to ravage another coco-nut tree. "Coconuts are good things, butbefore filling the canoe with them it would be wise to reconnoitre and seeif the island does not produce some substance not less useful. Freshvegetables would be welcome on board the Nautilus."

"Master is right," replied Conseil; "and I propose to ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 113

reserve three places in our vessel, one for fruits, the other forvegetables, and the third for the venison, of which I have not yet seen thesmallest specimen."

"Conseil, we must not despair," said the Canadian.

"Let us continue," I returned, "and lie in wait. Although the islandseems uninhabited, it might still contain some individuals that would beless hard than we on the nature of game."

"Ho! ho!" said Ned Land, moving his jaws significantly.

"Well, Ned!" said Conseil.

"My word!" returned the Canadian, "I begin to understand the charms ofanthropophagy."

"Ned! Ned! what are you saying? You, a man-eater? I should not feelsafe with you, especially as I share your cabin. I might perhaps wake oneday to find myself half devoured."

"Friend Conseil, I like you much, but not enough to eat youunnecessarily."

"I would not trust you," replied Conseil. "But enough. We mustabsolutely bring down some game to satisfy this cannibal, or else one of

these fine mornings, master will find only pieces of his servant to servehim."

While we were talking thus, we were penetrating the sombre arches ofthe forest, and for two hours we surveyed it in all directions.

Chance rewarded our search for eatable vegetables, and one of the mostuseful products of the tropical zones furnished us with precious food thatwe missed on board. I would speak of the bread-fruit tree, very abundant inthe island of Gilboa; and I remarked chiefly the variety destitute of



seeds, which bears in Malaya the name of "rima."

Ned Land knew these fruits well. He had already eaten many during hisnumerous voyages, and he knew how to prepare the eatable substance.Moreover, the sight of them excited him, and he could contain himself nolonger.

"Master," he said, "I shall die if I do not taste a little of thisbread-fruit pie."

"Taste it, friend Ned -- taste it as you want. We are here to makeexperiments -- make them." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 114

"It won't take long," said the Canadian.

And, provided with a lentil, he lighted a fire of dead wood thatcrackled joyously. During this time, Conseil and I chose the best fruits ofthe bread-fruit. Some had not then attained a sufficient degree ofmaturity; and their thick skin covered a white but rather fibrous pulp.Others, the greater number yellow and gelatinous, waited only to be picked.

These fruits enclosed no kernel. Conseil brought a dozen to Ned Land,

who placed them on a coal fire, after having cut them in thick slices, andwhile doing this repeating:

"You will see, master, how good this bread is. More so when one hasbeen deprived of it so long. It is not even bread," added he, "but adelicate pastry. You have eaten none, master?"

"No, Ned."

"Very well, prepare yourself for a juicy thing. If you do not come formore, I am no longer the king of harpooners."

After some minutes, the part of the fruits that was exposed to the

fire was completely roasted. The interior looked like a white pasty, a sortof soft crumb, the flavour of which was like that of an artichoke.

It must be confessed this bread was excellent, and I ate of it withgreat relish.

"What time is it now?" asked the Canadian.

"Two o'clock at least," replied Conseil.

"How time flies on firm ground!" sighed Ned Land.

"Let us be off," replied Conseil.

We returned through the forest, and completed our collection by a raidupon the cabbage-palms, that we gathered from the tops of the trees, littlebeans that I recognised as the "abrou" of the Malays, and yams of asuperior quality.

We were loaded when we reached the boat. But Ned Land did not find hisprovisions sufficient. Fate, however, favoured us. Just as we were pushingoff, he perceived several trees, from twenty-five to thirty feet high, aspecies of palm-tree.



At last, at five o'clock in the evening, loaded with our riches, wequitted the shore, and half an hour after we hailed ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 115

the Nautilus. No one appeared on our arrival. The enormous iron-platedcylinder seemed deserted. The provisions embarked, I descended to mychamber, and after supper slept soundly.

The next day, 6th January, nothing new on board. Not a sound inside,not a sign of life. The boat rested along the edge, in the same place inwhich we had left it. We resolved to return to the island. Ned Land hopedto be more fortunate than on the day before with regard to the hunt, andwished to visit another part of the forest.

At dawn we set off. The boat, carried on by the waves that flowed toshore, reached the island in a few minutes.

We landed, and, thinking that it was better to give in to theCanadian, we followed Ned Land, whose long limbs threatened to distance us.He wound up the coast towards the west: then, fording some torrents, hegained the high plain that was bordered with admirable forests. Somekingfishers were rambling along the water-courses, but they would not let

themselves be approached. Their circumspection proved to me that thesebirds knew what to expect from bipeds of our species, and I concluded that,if the island was not inhabited, at least human beings occasionallyfrequented it.

After crossing a rather large prairie, we arrived at the skirts of alittle wood that was enlivened by the songs and flight of a large number ofbirds.

"There are only birds," said Conseil.

"But they are eatable," replied the harpooner.

"I do not agree with you, friend Ned, for I see only parrots there."

"Friend Conseil," said Ned, gravely, "the parrot is like pheasant tothose who have nothing else."

"And," I added, "this bird, suitably prepared, is worth knife andfork."

Indeed, under the thick foliage of this wood, a world of parrots wereflying from branch to branch, only needing a careful education to speak thehuman language. For the moment, they were chattering with parrots of allcolours, and grave cockatoos, who seemed to meditate upon some ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 116

philosophical problem, whilst brilliant red lories passed like a piece ofbunting carried away by the breeze, papuans, with the finest azure colours,and in all a variety of winged things most charming to behold, but feweatable.

However, a bird peculiar to these lands, and which has never passedthe limits of the Arrow and Papuan islands, was wanting in this collection.But fortune reserved it for me before long.



After passing through a moderately thick copse, we found a plainobstructed with bushes. I saw then those magnificent birds, the dispositionof whose long feathers obliges them to fly against the wind. Theirundulating flight, graceful aerial curves, and the shading of theircolours, attracted and charmed one's looks. I had no trouble in recognisingthem.

"Birds of paradise!" I exclaimed.

The Malays, who carry on a great trade in these birds with theChinese, have several means that we could not employ for taking them.Sometimes they put snares on the top of high trees that the birds ofparadise prefer to frequent. Sometimes they catch them with a viscousbirdlime that paralyses their movements. They even go so far as to poisonthe fountains that the birds generally drink from. But we were obliged tofire at them during flight, which gave us few chances to bring them down;and, indeed, we vainly exhausted one half our ammunition.

About eleven o'clock in the morning, the first range of mountains thatform the centre of the island was traversed, and we had killed nothing.Hunger drove us on. The hunters had relied on the products of the chase,and they were wrong. Happily Conseil, to his great surprise, made a doubleshot and secured breakfast. He brought down a white pigeon and a

wood-pigeon, which, cleverly plucked and suspended from a skewer, wasroasted before a red fire of dead wood. While these interesting birds werecooking, Ned prepared the fruit of the bread-tree. Then the wood-pigeonswere devoured to the bones, and declared excellent. The nutmeg, with whichthey are in the habit of stuffing their crops, flavours their flesh andrenders it delicious eating. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 117

"Now, Ned, what do you miss now?"

"Some four-footed game, M. Aronnax. All these pigeons are onlyside-dishes and trifles; and until I have killed an animal with cutlets I

shall not be content."

"Nor I, Ned, if I do not catch a bird of paradise."

"Let us continue hunting," replied Conseil. "Let us go towards thesea. We have arrived at the first declivities of the mountains, and I thinkwe had better regain the region of forests."

That was sensible advice, and was followed out. After walking for onehour we had attained a forest of sago-trees. Some inoffensive serpentsglided away from us. The birds of paradise fled at our approach, and trulyI despaired of getting near one when Conseil, who was walking in front,suddenly bent down, uttered a triumphal cry, and came back to me bringing a

magnificent specimen.

"Ah! bravo, Conseil!"

"Master is very good."

"No, my boy; you have made an excellent stroke. Take one of theseliving birds, and carry it in your hand."

"If master will examine it, he will see that I have not deserved great



merit."

"Why, Conseil?"

"Because this bird is as drunk as a quail."

"Drunk!"

"Yes, sir; drunk with the nutmegs that it devoured under thenutmeg-tree, under which I found it. See, friend Ned, see the monstrouseffects of intemperance!"

"By Jove!" exclaimed the Canadian, "because I have drunk gin for twomonths, you must needs reproach me!"

However, I examined the curious bird. Conseil was right. The bird,drunk with the juice, was quite powerless. It could not fly; it couldhardly walk.

This bird belonged to the most beautiful of the eight species that arefound in Papua and in the neighbouring islands. It was the "large emeraldbird, the most rare kind." It measured three feet in length. Its head wascomparatively small, its eyes placed near the opening of the beak, and alsosmall. But the shades of colour were beautiful, having

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a yellow beak, brown feet and claws, nut-coloured wings with purple tips,pale yellow at the back of the neck and head, and emerald colour at thethroat, chestnut on the breast and belly. Two horned, downy nets rose frombelow the tail, that prolonged the long light feathers of admirablefineness, and they completed the whole of this marvellous bird, that thenatives have poetically named the "bird of the sun."

But if my wishes were satisfied by the possession of the bird ofparadise, the Canadian's were not yet. Happily, about two o'clock, Ned Landbrought down a magnificent hog; from the brood of those the natives call

"bari-outang." The animal came in time for us to procure real quadrupedmeat, and he was well received. Ned Land was very proud of his shot. Thehog, hit by the electric ball, fell stone dead. The Canadian skinned andcleaned it properly, after having taken half a dozen cutlets, destined tofurnish us with a grilled repast in the evening. Then the hunt was resumed,which was still more marked by Ned and Conseil's exploits.

Indeed, the two friends, beating the bushes, roused a herd ofkangaroos that fled and bounded along on their elastic paws. But theseanimals did not take to flight so rapidly but what the electric capsulecould stop their course.

"Ah, Professor!" cried Ned Land, who was carried away by the delights

of the chase, "what excellent game, and stewed, too! What a supply for theNautilus! Two! three! five down! And to think that we shall eat that flesh,and that the idiots on board shall not have a crumb!"

I think that, in the excess of his joy, the Canadian, if he had nottalked so much, would have killed them all. But he contented himself with asingle dozen of these interesting marsupians. These animals were small.They were a species of those "kangaroo rabbits" that live habitually in thehollows of trees, and whose speed is extreme; but they are moderately fat,and furnish, at least, estimable food. We were very satisfied with the



results of the hunt. Happy Ned proposed to return to this enchanting islandthe next day, for he wished to depopulate it of all the eatable quadrupeds.But he had reckoned without his host. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 119

At six o'clock in the evening we had regained the shore; our boat wasmoored to the usual place. The Nautilus, like a long rock, emerged from thewaves two miles from the beach. Ned Land, without waiting, occupied himselfabout the important dinner business. He understood all about cooking well.The "bari-outang," grilled on the coals, soon scented the air with adelicious odour.

Indeed, the dinner was excellent. Two wood-pigeons completed thisextraordinary menu. The sago pasty, the artocarpus bread, some mangoes,half a dozen pineapples, and the liquor fermented from some coco-nuts,overjoyed us. I even think that my worthy companions' ideas had not all theplainness desirable.

"Suppose we do not return to the Nautilus this evening?" said Conseil.

"Suppose we never return?" added Ned Land.

Just then a stone fell at our feet and cut short the harpooner's

proposition.

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Chapter 1.21

CAPTAIN NEMO'S THUNDERBOLT

WE LOOKED at the edge of the forest without rising, my hand stoppingin the action of putting it to my mouth, Ned Land's completing its office.

"Stones do not fall from the sky," remarked Conseil, "or they wouldmerit the name aerolites."

A second stone, carefully aimed, that made a savoury pigeon's leg fallfrom Conseil's hand, gave still more weight to his observation. We allthree arose, shouldered our guns, and were ready to reply to any attack.

"Are they apes?" cried Ned Land.

"Very nearly -- they are savages."

"To the boat!" I said, hurrying to the sea.

It was indeed necessary to beat a retreat, for about twenty nativesarmed with bows and slings appeared on the skirts

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of a copse that masked the horizon to the right, hardly a hundred stepsfrom us.

Our boat was moored about sixty feet from us. The savages approachedus, not running, but making hostile demonstrations. Stones and arrows fellthickly.



Ned Land had not wished to leave his provisions; and, in spite of hisimminent danger, his pig on one side and kangaroos on the other, he wenttolerably fast. In two minutes we were on the shore. To load the boat withprovisions and arms, to push it out to sea, and ship the oars, was the workof an instant. We had not gone two cable-lengths, when a hundred savages,howling and gesticulating, entered the water up to their waists. I watchedto see if their apparition would attract some men from the Nautilus on tothe platform. But no. The enormous machine, lying off, was absolutelydeserted.

Twenty minutes later we were on board. The panels were open. Aftermaking the boat fast, we entered into the interior of the Nautilus.

I descended to the drawing-room, from whence I heard some chords.Captain Nemo was there, bending over his organ, and plunged in a musicalecstasy.

"Captain!"

He did not hear me.

"Captain!" I said, touching his hand.

He shuddered, and, turning round, said, "Ah! it is you, Professor?

Well, have you had a good hunt, have you botanised successfully?"

"Yes Captain; but we have unfortunately brought a troop of bipeds,whose vicinity troubles me."

"What bipeds?"

"Savages."

"Savages!" he echoed, ironically. "So you are astonished, Professor,at having set foot on a strange land and finding savages? Savages! whereare there not any? Besides, are they worse than others, these whom you callsavages?"

"But Captain -- "

"How many have you counted?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 121

"A hundred at least."

"M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo, placing his fingers on the organstops, "when all the natives of Papua are assembled on this shore, theNautilus will have nothing to fear from their attacks."

The Captain's fingers were then running over the keys of theinstrument, and I remarked that he touched only the black keys, which gavehis melodies an essentially Scotch character. Soon he had forgotten mypresence, and had plunged into a reverie that I did not disturb. I went upagain on to the platform: night had already fallen; for, in this lowlatitude, the sun sets rapidly and without twilight. I could only see theisland indistinctly; but the numerous fires, lighted on the beach, showedthat the natives did not think of leaving it. I was alone for severalhours, sometimes thinking of the natives -- but without any dread of them,for the imperturbable confidence of the Captain was catching -- sometimes



forgetting them to admire the splendours of the night in the tropics. Myremembrances went to France in the train of those zodiacal stars that wouldshine in some hours' time. The moon shone in the midst of theconstellations of the zenith.

The night slipped away without any mischance, the islanders frightenedno doubt at the sight of a monster aground in the bay. The panels wereopen, and would have offered an easy access to the interior of theNautilus.

At six o'clock in the morning of the 8th January I went up on to theplatform. The dawn was breaking. The island soon showed itself through thedissipating fogs, first the shore, then the summits.

The natives were there, more numerous than on the day before -- fiveor six hundred perhaps -- some of them, profiting by the low water, hadcome on to the coral, at less than two cable-lengths from the Nautilus. Idistinguished them easily; they were true Papuans, with athletic figures,men of good race, large high foreheads, large, but not broad and flat, andwhite teeth. Their woolly hair, with a reddish tinge, showed off on theirblack shining bodies like those of ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 122

the Nubians. From the lobes of their ears, cut and distended, hung chapletsof bones. Most of these savages were naked. Amongst them, I remarked somewomen, dressed from the hips to knees in quite a crinoline of herbs, thatsustained a vegetable waistband. Some chiefs had ornamented their neckswith a crescent and collars of glass beads, red and white; nearly all werearmed with bows, arrows, and shields and carried on their shoulders a sortof net containing those round stones which they cast from their slings withgreat skill. One of these chiefs, rather near to the Nautilus, examined itattentively. He was, perhaps, a "mado" of high rank, for he was draped in amat of banana-leaves, notched round the edges, and set off with brilliantcolours.

I could easily have knocked down this native, who was within a short

length; but I thought that it was better to wait for real hostiledemonstrations. Between Europeans and savages, it is proper for theEuropeans to parry sharply, not to attack.

During low water the natives roamed about near the Nautilus, but werenot troublesome; I heard them frequently repeat the word "Assai," and bytheir gestures I understood that they invited me to go on land, aninvitation that I declined.

So that, on that day, the boat did not push off, to the greatdispleasure of Master Land, who could not complete his provisions.

This adroit Canadian employed his time in preparing the viands and

meat that he had brought off the island. As for the savages, they returnedto the shore about eleven o'clock in the morning, as soon as the coral topsbegan to disappear under the rising tide; but I saw their numbers hadincreased considerably on the shore. Probably they came from theneighbouring islands, or very likely from Papua. However, I had not seen asingle native canoe. Having nothing better to do, I thought of draggingthese beautiful limpid waters, under which I saw a profusion of shells,zoophytes, and marine plants. Moreover, it was the last day that theNautilus would pass in these parts, if it float ------------------------------------------------------------------------



Page 123

in open sea the next day, according to Captain Nemo's promise.

I therefore called Conseil, who brought me a little light drag, verylike those for the oyster fishery. Now to work! For two hours we fishedunceasingly, but without bringing up any rarities. The drag was filled withmidas-ears, harps, melames, and particularly the most beautiful hammers Ihave ever seen. We also brought up some sea-slugs, pearl- oysters, and adozen little turtles that were reserved for the pantry on board.

But just when I expected it least, I put my hand on a wonder, I mightsay a natural deformity, very rarely met with. Conseil was just dragging,and his net came up filled with divers ordinary shells, when, all at once,he saw me plunge my arm quickly into the net, to draw out a shell, andheard me utter a cry.

"What is the matter, sir?" he asked in surprise. "Has master beenbitten?"

"No, my boy; but I would willingly have given a finger for mydiscovery."

"What discovery?"

"This shell," I said, holding up the object of my triumph.

"It is simply an olive porphyry."

"Yes, Conseil; but, instead of being rolled from right to left, thisolive turns from left to right."

"Is it possible?"

"Yes, my boy; it is a left shell."

Shells are all right-handed, with rare exceptions; and, when by chance

their spiral is left, amateurs are ready to pay their weight in gold.

Conseil and I were absorbed in the contemplation of our treasure, andI was promising myself to enrich the museum with it, when a stoneunfortunately thrown by a native struck against, and broke, the preciousobject in Conseil's hand. I uttered a cry of despair! Conseil took up hisgun, and aimed at a savage who was poising his sling at ten yards from him.I would have stopped him, but his blow took effect and broke the braceletof amulets which encircled the arm of the savage. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 124

"Conseil!" cried I. "Conseil!"

"Well, sir! do you not see that the cannibal has commenced theattack?"

"A shell is not worth the life of a man," said I.

"Ah! the scoundrel!" cried Conseil; "I would rather he had broken myshoulder!"

Conseil was in earnest, but I was not of his opinion. However, the



occupy the platform, I do not see how you could prevent them fromentering."

"Then, sir, you suppose that they will board us?"

"I am certain of it."

"Well, sir, let them come. I see no reason for hindering them. Afterall, these Papuans are poor creatures, and I am unwilling that my visit tothe island should cost the life of a single one of these wretches."

Upon that I was going away; But Captain Nemo detained me, and asked meto sit down by him. He questioned me with interest about our excursions onshore, and our hunting; and seemed not to understand the craving for meatthat possessed the Canadian. Then the conversation turned on varioussubjects, and, without being more communicative, Captain Nemo showedhimself more amiable.

Amongst other things, we happened to speak of the situation of theNautilus, run aground in exactly the same spot in this strait where Dumontd'Urville was nearly lost. Apropos of this:

"This D'Urville was one of your great sailors," said the ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 126

Captain to me, "one of your most intelligent navigators. He is the CaptainCook of you Frenchmen. Unfortunate man of science, after having braved theicebergs of the South Pole, the coral reefs of Oceania, the cannibals ofthe Pacific, to perish miserably in a railway train! If this energetic mancould have reflected during the last moments of his life, what must havebeen uppermost in his last thoughts, do you suppose?"

So speaking, Captain Nemo seemed moved, and his emotion gave me abetter opinion of him. Then, chart in hand, we reviewed the travels of theFrench navigator, his voyages of circumnavigation, his double detention atthe South Pole, which led to the discovery of Adelaide and Louis Philippe,

and fixing the hydrographical bearings of the principal islands of Oceania.

"That which your D'Urville has done on the surface of the seas," saidCaptain Nemo, "that have I done under them, and more easily, morecompletely than he. The Astrolabe and the Zelee, incessantly tossed aboutby the hurricane, could not be worth the Nautilus, quiet repository oflabour that she is, truly motionless in the midst of the waters.

"To-morrow," added the Captain, rising, "to-morrow, at twenty minutesto three p.m., the Nautilus shall float, and leave the Strait of Torresuninjured."

Having curtly pronounced these words, Captain Nemo bowed slightly.

This was to dismiss me, and I went back to my room.

There I found Conseil, who wished to know the result of my interviewwith the Captain.

"My boy," said I, "when I feigned to believe that his Nautilus wasthreatened by the natives of Papua, the Captain answered me verysarcastically. I have but one thing to say to you: Have confidence in him,and go to sleep in peace."



"Have you no need of my services, sir?"

"No, my friend. What is Ned Land doing?"

"If you will excuse me, sir," answered Conseil, "friend Ned is busymaking a kangaroo-pie which will be a marvel." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 127

I remained alone and went to bed, but slept indifferently. I heard thenoise of the savages, who stamped on the platform, uttering deafeningcries. The night passed thus, without disturbing the ordinary repose of thecrew. The presence of these cannibals affected them no more than thesoldiers of a masked battery care for the ants that crawl over its front.

At six in the morning I rose. The hatches had not been opened. Theinner air was not renewed, but the reservoirs, filled ready for anyemergency, were now resorted to, and discharged several cubic feet ofoxygen into the exhausted atmosphere of the Nautilus.

I worked in my room till noon, without having seen Captain Nemo, evenfor an instant. On board no preparations for departure were visible.

I waited still some time, then went into the large saloon. The clock

marked half-past two. In ten minutes it would be high-tide: and, if CaptainNemo had not made a rash promise, the Nautilus would be immediatelydetached. If not, many months would pass ere she could leave her bed ofcoral.

However, some warning vibrations began to be felt in the vessel. Iheard the keel grating against the rough calcareous bottom of the coralreef.

At five-and-twenty minutes to three, Captain Nemo appeared in thesaloon.

"We are going to start," said he.

"Ah!" replied I.

"I have given the order to open the hatches."

"And the Papuans?"

"The Papuans?" answered Captain Nemo, slightly shrugging hisshoulders.

"Will they not come inside the Nautilus?"

"How?"

"Only by leaping over the hatches you have opened."

"M. Aronnax," quietly answered Captain Nemo, "they will not enter thehatches of the Nautilus in that way, even if they were open."

I looked at the Captain. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 128



"You do not understand?" said he.

"Hardly."

"Well, come and you will see."

I directed my steps towards the central staircase. There Ned Land andConseil were slyly watching some of the ship's crew, who were opening thehatches, while cries of rage and fearful vociferations resounded outside.

The port lids were pulled down outside. Twenty horrible facesappeared. But the first native who placed his hand on the stair-rail,struck from behind by some invisible force, I know not what, fled, utteringthe most fearful cries and making the wildest contortions.

Ten of his companions followed him. They met with the same fate.

Conseil was in ecstasy. Ned Land, carried away by his violentinstincts, rushed on to the staircase. But the moment he seized the railwith both hands, he, in his turn, was overthrown.

"I am struck by a thunderbolt," cried he, with an oath.

This explained all. It was no rail; but a metallic cable charged with

electricity from the deck communicating with the platform. Whoever touchedit felt a powerful shock -- and this shock would have been mortal ifCaptain Nemo had discharged into the conductor the whole force of thecurrent. It might truly be said that between his assailants and himself hehad stretched a network of electricity which none could pass with impunity.

Meanwhile, the exasperated Papuans bad beaten a retreat paralysed withterror. As for us, half laughing, we consoled and rubbed the unfortunateNed Land, who swore like one possessed.

But at this moment the Nautilus, raised by the last waves of the tide,quitted her coral bed exactly at the fortieth minute fixed by the Captain.Her screw swept the waters slowly and majestically. Her speed increased

gradually, and, sailing on the surface of the ocean, she quitted safe andsound the dangerous passes of the Straits of Torres.

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 129

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.22

"AEGRI SOMNIA"

THE following day 10th January, the Nautilus continued her course

between two seas, but with such remarkable speed that I could not estimateit at less than thirty-five miles an hour. The rapidity of her screw wassuch that I could neither follow nor count its revolutions. When Ireflected that this marvellous electric agent, after having affordedmotion, heat, and light to the Nautilus, still protected her from outwardattack, and transformed her into an ark of safety which no profane handmight touch without being thunderstricken, my admiration was unbounded, andfrom the structure it extended to the engineer who had called it intoexistence.



Our course was directed to the west, and on the 11th of January wedoubled Cape Wessel, situation in 135° long. and 10° S. lat., which formsthe east point of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The reefs were still numerous,but more equalised, and marked on the chart with extreme precision. TheNautilus easily avoided the breakers of Money to port and the Victoriareefs to starboard, placed at 130° long. and on the 10th parallel, which westrictly followed.

On the 13th of January, Captain Nemo arrived in the Sea of Timor, andrecognised the island of that name in 122° long.

From this point the direction of the Nautilus inclined towards thesouth-west. Her head was set for the Indian Ocean. Where would the fancy ofCaptain Nemo carry us next? Would he return to the coast of Asia or wouldhe approach again the shores of Europe? Improbable conjectures both, to aman who fled from inhabited continents. Then would he descend to the south?Was he going to double the Cape of Good Hope, then Cape Horn, and finallygo as far as the Antarctic pole? Would he come back at last to the Pacific,where his Nautilus could sail free and independently? Time would show.

After having skirted the sands of Cartier, of Hibernia, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 130

Seringapatam, and Scott, last efforts of the solid against the liquidelement, on the 14th of January we lost sight of land altogether. The speedof the Nautilus was considerably abated, and with irregular course shesometimes swam in the bosom of the waters, sometimes floated on theirsurface.

During this period of the voyage, Captain Nemo made some interestingexperiments on the varied temperature of the sea, in different beds. Underordinary conditions these observations are made by means of rathercomplicated instruments, and with somewhat doubtful results, by means ofthermometrical sounding-leads, the glasses often breaking under thepressure of the water, or an apparatus grounded on the variations of theresistance of metals to the electric currents. Results so obtained could

not be correctly calculated. On the contrary, Captain Nemo went himself totest the temperature in the depths of the sea, and his thermometer, placedin communication with the different sheets of water, gave him the requireddegree immediately and accurately.

It was thus that, either by overloading her reservoirs or bydescending obliquely by means of her inclined planes, the Nautilussuccessively attained the depth of three, four, five, seven, nine, and tenthousand yards, and the definite result of this experience was that the seapreserved an average temperature of four degrees and a half at a depth offive thousand fathoms under all latitudes.

On the 16th of January, the Nautilus seemed becalmed only a few yards

beneath the surface of the waves. Her electric apparatus remained inactiveand her motionless screw left her to drift at the mercy of the currents. Isupposed that the crew was occupied with interior repairs, renderednecessary by the violence of the mechanical movements of the machine.

My companions and I then witnessed a curious spectacle. The hatches ofthe saloon were open, and, as the beacon- light of the Nautilus was not inaction, a dim obscurity reigned in the midst of the waters. I observed thestate of the sea, under these conditions, and the largest fish appeared tome no more than scarcely defined shadows, when the Nautilus



point of observation. Then he lowered his glass and exchanged a few wordswith his lieutenant. The latter seemed to be a victim to some emotion thathe tried in vain to repress. Captain Nemo, having more command overhimself, was cool. He seemed, too, to be making some objections to whichthe lieutenant replied by formal assurances. At least I concluded so by thedifference of their tones and gestures. For myself, I had looked carefullyin the direction indicated without seeing anything. The sky and water werelost in the clear line of the horizon.

However, Captain Nemo walked from one end of the platform to theother, without looking at me, perhaps without seeing me. His step was firm,but less regular than usual. He stopped sometimes, crossed his arms, andobserved the sea. What could he be looking for on that immense expanse?

The Nautilus was then some hundreds of miles from the nearest coast.

The lieutenant had taken up the glass and examined the horizonsteadfastly, going and coming, stamping his foot and showing more nervousagitation than his superior officer. Beside, this mystery must necessarilybe solved, and before ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 133

long; for, upon an order from Captain Nemo, the engine, increasing its

propelling power, made the screw turn more rapidly.

Just then the lieutenant drew the Captain's attention again. Thelatter stopped walking and directed his glass towards the place indicated.He looked long. I felt very much puzzled, and descended to thedrawing-room, and took out an excellent telescope that I generally used.Then, leaning on the cage of the watch-light that jutted out from the frontof the platform, set myself to look over all the line of the sky and sea.

But my eye was no sooner applied to the glass than it was quicklysnatched out of my hands.

I turned round. Captain Nemo was before me, but I did not know him.

His face was transfigured. His eyes flashed sullenly; his teeth were set;his stiff body, clenched fists, and head shrunk between his shoulders,betrayed the violent agitation that pervaded his whole frame. He did notmove. My glass, fallen from his hands, had rolled at his feet.

Had I unwittingly provoked this fit of anger? Did thisincomprehensible person imagine that I had discovered some forbiddensecret? No; I was not the object of this hatred, for he was not looking atme; his eye was steadily fixed upon the impenetrable point of the horizon.At last Captain Nemo recovered himself. His agitation subsided. Headdressed some words in a foreign language to his lieutenant, then turnedto me. "M. Aronnax," he said, in rather an imperious tone, "I require youto keep one of the conditions that bind you to me."

"What is it, Captain?"

"You must be confined, with your companions, until I think fit torelease you."

"You are the master," I replied, looking steadily at him. "But may Iask you one question?"

"None, sir."



There was no resisting this imperious command, it would have beenuseless. I went down to the cabin occupied by Ned Land and Conseil, andtold them the Captain's determination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 134

You may judge how this communication was received by the Canadian.

But there was not time for altercation. Four of the crew waited at thedoor, and conducted us to that cell where we had passed our first night onboard the Nautilus.

Ned Land would have remonstrated, but the door was shut upon him.

"Will master tell me what this means?" asked Conseil.

I told my companions what had passed. They were as much astonished asI, and equally at a loss how to account for it.

Meanwhile, I was absorbed in my own reflections, and could think ofnothing but the strange fear depicted in the Captain's countenance. I wasutterly at a loss to account for it, when my cogitations were disturbed bythese words from Ned Land:

"Hallo! breakfast is ready."

And indeed the table was laid. Evidently Captain Nemo had given thisorder at the same time that he had hastened the speed of the Nautilus.

"Will master permit me to make a recommendation?" asked Conseil.

"Yes, my boy."

"Well, it is that master breakfasts. It is prudent, for we do not knowwhat may happen."

"You are right, Conseil."

"Unfortunately," said Ned Land, "they have only given us the ship'sfare."

"Friend Ned," asked Conseil, "what would you have said if thebreakfast had been entirely forgotten?"

This argument cut short the harpooner's recriminations.

We sat down to table. The meal was eaten in silence.

Just then the luminous globe that lighted the cell went out, and left

us in total darkness. Ned Land was soon asleep, and what astonished me wasthat Conseil went off into a heavy slumber. I was thinking what could havecaused his irresistible drowsiness, when I felt my brain becomingstupefied. In spite of my efforts to keep my eyes open, they would close. Apainful suspicion seized me. Evidently ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 135

soporific substances had been mixed with the food we had just taken.Imprisonment was not enough to conceal Captain Nemo's projects from us,



sleep was more necessary. I then heard the panels shut. The undulations ofthe sea, which caused a slight rolling motion, ceased. Had the Nautilusquitted the surface of the ocean? Had it gone back to the motionless bed ofwater? I tried to resist sleep. It was impossible. My breathing grew weak.I felt a mortal cold freeze my stiffened and half-paralysed limbs. Myeyelids, like leaden caps, fell over my eyes. I could not raise them; amorbid sleep, full of hallucinations, bereft me of my being. Then thevisions disappeared, and left me in complete insensibility.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 1.23

THE CORAL KINGDOM

THE next day I woke with my head singularly clear. To my greatsurprise, I was in my own room. My companions, no doubt, had beenreinstated in their cabin, without having perceived it any more than I. Ofwhat had passed during the night they were as ignorant as I was, and topenetrate this mystery I only reckoned upon the chances of the future.

I then thought of quitting my room. Was I free again or a prisoner?Quite free. I opened the door, went to the half-deck, went up the centralstairs. The panels, shut the evening before, were open. I went on to the

platform.

Ned Land and Conseil waited there for me. I questioned them; they knewnothing. Lost in a heavy sleep in which they had been totally unconscious,they had been astonished at finding themselves in their cabin.

As for the Nautilus, it seemed quiet and mysterious as ever. Itfloated on the surface of the waves at a moderate pace. Nothing seemedchanged on board.

The second lieutenant then came on to the platform, and gave the usualorder below.

As for Captain Nemo, he did not appear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 136

Of the people on board, I only saw the impassive steward, who servedme with his usual dumb regularity.

About two o'clock, I was in the drawing-room, busied in arranging mynotes, when the Captain opened the door and appeared. I bowed. He made aslight inclination in return, without speaking. I resumed my work, hopingthat he would perhaps give me some explanation of the events of thepreceding night. He made none. I looked at him. He seemed fatigued; hisheavy eyes had not been refreshed by sleep; his face looked very sorrowful.

He walked to and fro, sat down and got up again, took a chance book, put itdown, consulted his instruments without taking his habitual notes, andseemed restless and uneasy. At last, he came up to me, and said:

"Are you a doctor, M. Aronnax?"

I so little expected such a question that I stared some time at himwithout answering.

"Are you a doctor?" he repeated. "Several of your colleagues have



studied medicine."

"Well," said I, "I am a doctor and resident surgeon to the hospital. Ipractised several years before entering the museum."

"Very well, sir."

My answer had evidently satisfied the Captain. But, not knowing whathe would say next, I waited for other questions, reserving my answersaccording to circumstances.

"M. Aronnax, will you consent to prescribe for one of my men?" beasked.

"Is he ill?"

"Yes."

"I am ready to follow you."

"Come, then."

I own my heart beat, I do not know why. I saw certain connectionbetween the illness of one of the crew and the events of the day before;

and this mystery interested me at least as much as the sick man.

Captain Nemo conducted me to the poop of the Nautilus, and took meinto a cabin situated near the sailors' quarters.

There, on a bed, lay a man about forty years of age, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 137

with a resolute expression of countenance, a true type of an Anglo-Saxon.

I leant over him. He was not only ill, he was wounded. His head,swathed in bandages covered with blood, lay on a pillow. I undid the

bandages, and the wounded man looked at me with his large eyes and gave nosign of pain as I did it. It was a horrible wound. The skull, shattered bysome deadly weapon, left the brain exposed, which was much injured. Clotsof blood had formed in the bruised and broken mass, in colour like thedregs of wine.

There was both contusion and suffusion of the brain. His breathing wasslow, and some spasmodic movements of the muscles agitated his face. I felthis pulse. It was intermittent. The extremities of the body were growingcold already, and I saw death must inevitably ensue. After dressing theunfortunate man's wounds, I readjusted the bandages on his head, and turnedto Captain Nemo.

"What caused this wound?" I asked.

"What does it signify?" he replied, evasively. "A shock has broken oneof the levers of the engine, which struck myself. But your opinion as tohis state?"

I hesitated before giving it.

"You may speak," said the Captain. "This man does not understandFrench."



I gave a last look at the wounded man.

"He will be dead in two hours."

"Can nothing save him?"

"Nothing."

Captain Nemo's hand contracted, and some tears glistened in his eyes,which I thought incapable of shedding any.

For some moments I still watched the dying man, whose life ebbedslowly. His pallor increased under the electric light that was shed overhis death-bed. I looked at his intelligent forehead, furrowed withpremature wrinkles, produced probably by misfortune and sorrow. I tried tolearn the secret of his life from the last words that escaped his lips.

"You can go now, M. Aronnax," said the Captain.

I left him in the dying man's cabin, and returned to my ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 138

room much affected by this scene. During the whole day, I was haunted byuncomfortable suspicions, and at night I slept badly, and between my brokendreams I fancied I heard distant sighs like the notes of a funeral psalm.Were they the prayers of the dead, murmured in that language that I couldnot understand?

The next morning I went on to the bridge. Captain Nemo was therebefore me. As soon as he perceived me he came to me.

"Professor, will it be convenient to you to make a submarine excursionto-day?"

"With my companions?" I asked.

"If they like."

"We obey your orders, Captain."

"Will you be so good then as to put on your cork jackets?"

It was not a question of dead or dying. I rejoined Ned Land andConseil, and told them of Captain Nemo's proposition. Conseil hastened toaccept it, and this time the Canadian seemed quite willing to follow ourexample.

It was eight o'clock in the morning. At half-past eight we were

equipped for this new excursion, and provided with two contrivances forlight and breathing. The double door was open; and, accompanied by CaptainNemo, who was followed by a dozen of the crew, we set foot, at a depth ofabout thirty feet, on the solid bottom on which the Nautilus rested.

A slight declivity ended in an uneven bottom, at fifteen fathomsdepth. This bottom differed entirely from the one I had visited on my firstexcursion under the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Here, there was no finesand, no submarine prairies, no sea-forest. I immediately recognised thatmarvellous region in which, on that day, the Captain did the honours to us.



It was the coral kingdom.

The light produced a thousand charming varieties, playing in the midstof the branches that were so vividly coloured. I seemed to see themembraneous and cylindrical tubes tremble beneath the undulation of thewaters. I was tempted to gather their fresh petals, ornamented withdelicate ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 139

tentacles, some just blown, the others budding, while a small fish,swimming swiftly, touched them slightly, like flights of birds. But if myhand approached these living flowers, these animated, sensitive plants, thewhole colony took alarm. The white petals re-entered their red cases, theflowers faded as I looked, and the bush changed into a block of stonyknobs.

Chance had thrown me just by the most precious specimens of thezoophyte. This coral was more valuable than that found in theMediterranean, on the coasts of France, Italy and Barbary. Its tintsjustified the poetical names of "Flower of Blood," and "Froth of Blood,"that trade has given to its most beautiful productions. Coral is sold forL20 per ounce; and in this place the watery beds would make the fortunes ofa company of coral-divers. This precious matter, often confused with other

polypi, formed then the inextricable plots called "macciota," and on whichI noticed several beautiful specimens of pink coral.

Real petrified thickets, long joints of fantastic architecture, weredisclosed before us. Captain Nemo placed himself under a dark gallery,where by a slight declivity we reached a depth of a hundred yards. Thelight from our lamps produced sometimes magical effects, following therough outlines of the natural arches and pendants disposed like lustres,that were tipped with points of fire.

At last, after walking two hours, we had attained a depth of aboutthree hundred yards, that is to say, the extreme limit on which coralbegins to form. But there was no isolated bush, nor modest brushwood, at

the bottom of lofty trees. It was an immense forest of large mineralvegetations, enormous petrified trees, united by garlands of elegant sea-bindweed, all adorned with clouds and reflections. We passed freely undertheir high branches, lost in the shade of the waves.

Captain Nemo had stopped. I and my companions halted, and, turninground, I saw his men were forming a semicircle round their chief.Watching attentively, I observed that four of them carried on theirshoulders an object of an oblong shape. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 140

We occupied, in this place, the centre of a vast glade surrounded by

the lofty foliage of the submarine forest. Our lamps threw over this placea sort of clear twilight that singularly elongated the shadows on theground. At the end of the glade the darkness increased, and was onlyrelieved by little sparks reflected by the points of coral.

Ned Land and Conseil were near me. We watched, and I thought I wasgoing to witness a strange scene. On observing the ground, I saw that itwas raised in certain places by slight excrescences encrusted with limydeposits, and disposed with a regularity that betrayed the hand of man.



ended with the moving scene in the coral cemetery which left such a deepimpression on my mind. Thus, in the midst of this great sea, Captain Nemo'slife was passing, even to his grave, which he had prepared in one of itsdeepest abysses. There, not one of the ocean's monsters could trouble thelast sleep of the crew of the Nautilus, of those friends riveted to eachother in death as in life. "Nor any man, either," had added the Captain.Still the same fierce, implacable defiance towards human society!

I could no longer content myself with the theory which satisfiedConseil.

That worthy fellow persisted in seeing in the Commander of theNautilus one of those unknown servants who return mankind contempt forindifference. For him, he was a misunderstood genius who, tired of earth'sdeceptions, had taken refuge in this inaccessible medium, where he mightfollow his instincts freely. To my mind, this explains but one side ofCaptain Nemo's character. Indeed, the mystery of that last night duringwhich we had been chained in prison, the sleep, and the precaution soviolently taken by the Captain of snatching from my eyes the glass I hadraised to sweep the horizon, the mortal wound of the man, due to anunaccountable shock of the Nautilus, all put me on a new track. No; CaptainNemo was not satisfied with shunning man. His formidable apparatus not onlysuited his instinct of freedom, but perhaps also the design of someterrible retaliation.

At this moment nothing is clear to me; I catch but a glimpse of lightamidst all the darkness, and I must confine myself to writing as eventsshall dictate.

That day, the 24th of January, 1868, at noon, the second ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 143

officer came to take the altitude of the sun. I mounted the platform, lit acigar, and watched the operation. It seemed to me that the man did notunderstand French; for several times I made remarks in a loud voice, whichmust have drawn from him some involuntary sign of attention, if he had

understood them; but he remained undisturbed and dumb.

As he was taking observations with the sextant, one of the sailors ofthe Nautilus (the strong man who had accompanied us on our first submarineexcursion to the Island of Crespo) came to clean the glasses of thelantern. I examined the fittings of the apparatus, the strength of whichwas increased a hundredfold by lenticular rings, placed similar to those ina lighthouse, and which projected their brilliance in a horizontal plane.The electric lamp was combined in such a way as to give its most powerfullight. Indeed, it was produced in vacuo, which insured both its steadinessand its intensity. This vacuum economised the graphite points between whichthe luminous arc was developed -- an important point of economy for CaptainNemo, who could not easily have replaced them; and under these conditions

their waste was imperceptible. When the Nautilus was ready to continue itssubmarine journey, I went down to the saloon. The panel was closed, and thecourse marked direct west.

We were furrowing the waters of the Indian Ocean, a vast liquid plain,with a surface of 1,200,000,000 of acres, and whose waters are so clear andtransparent that any one leaning over them would turn giddy. The Nautilususually floated between fifty and a hundred fathoms deep. We went on so forsome days. To anyone but myself, who had a great love for the sea, thehours would have seemed long and monotonous; but the daily walks on the



platform, when I steeped myself in the reviving air of the ocean, the sightof the rich waters through the windows of the saloon, the books in thelibrary, the compiling of my memoirs, took up all my time, and left me nota moment of ennui or weariness.

For some days we saw a great number of aquatic birds, sea-mews orgulls. Some were cleverly killed and, prepared ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 144

in a certain way, made very acceptable water-game. Amongst large-wingedbirds, carried a long distance from all lands and resting upon the wavesfrom the fatigue of their flight, I saw some magnificent albatrosses,uttering discordant cries like the braying of an ass, and birds belongingto the family of the long-wings.

As to the fish, they always provoked our admiration when we surprisedthe secrets of their aquatic life through the open panels. I saw many kindswhich I never before had a chance of observing.

From the 21st to the 23rd of January the Nautilus went at the rate oftwo hundred and fifty leagues in twenty-four hours, being five hundred andforty miles, or twenty-two miles an hour. If we recognised so manydifferent varieties of fish, it was because, attracted by the electric

light, they tried to follow us; the greater part, however, were soondistanced by our speed, though some kept their place in the waters of theNautilus for a time. The morning of the 24th, in 12° 5' S. lat., and 94°33' long., we observed Keeling Island, a coral formation, planted withmagnificent cocos, and which bad been visited by Mr. Darwin and CaptainFitzroy. The Nautilus skirted the shores of this desert island for a littledistance. Its nets brought up numerous specimens of polypi and curiousshells of mollusca.

Soon Keeling Island disappeared from the horizon, and our course wasdirected to the north-west in the direction of the Indian Peninsula.

From Keeling Island our course was slower and more variable, often

taking us into great depths. Several times they made use of the inclinedplanes, which certain internal levers placed obliquely to the waterline. Inthat way we went about two miles, but without ever obtaining the greatestdepths of the Indian Sea, which soundings of seven thousand fathoms havenever reached. As to the temperature of the lower strata, the thermometerinvariably indicated 4° above zero. I only observed that in the upperregions the water was always colder in the high levels than at the surfaceof the sea.

On the 25th of January the ocean was entirely deserted; ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 145

the Nautilus passed the day on the surface, beating the waves with itspowerful screw and making them rebound to a great height. Who under suchcircumstances would not have taken it for a gigantic cetacean? Three partsof this day I spent on the platform. I watched the sea. Nothing on thehorizon, till about four o'clock a steamer running west on our counter. Hermasts were visible for an instant, but she could not see the Nautilus,being too low in the water. I fancied this steamboat belonged to the P.O.Company, which runs from Ceylon to Sydney, touching at King George's Pointand Melbourne.



At five o'clock in the evening, before that fleeting twilight whichbinds night to day in tropical zones, Conseil and I were astonished by acurious spectacle.

It was a shoal of argonauts travelling along on the surface of theocean. We could count several hundreds. They belonged to the tubercle kindwhich are peculiar to the Indian seas.

These graceful molluscs moved backwards by means of their locomotivetube, through which they propelled the water already drawn in. Of theireight tentacles, six were elongated, and stretched out floating on thewater, whilst the other two, rolled up flat, were spread to the wing like alight sail. I saw their spiral-shaped and fluted shells, which Cuvierjustly compares to an elegant skiff. A boat indeed! It bears the creaturewhich secretes it without its adhering to it.

For nearly an hour the Nautilus floated in the midst of this shoal ofmolluscs. Then I know not what sudden fright they took. But as if at asignal every sail was furled, the arms folded, the body drawn in, theshells turned over, changing their centre of gravity, and the whole fleetdisappeared under the waves. Never did the ships of a squadron manoeuvrewith more unity.

At that moment night fell suddenly, and the reeds, scarcely raised by

the breeze, lay peaceably under the sides of the Nautilus.

The next day, 26th of January, we cut the equator at the eighty-secondmeridian and entered the northern hemisphere. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 146

During the day a formidable troop of sharks accompanied us, terriblecreatures, which multiply in these seas and make them very dangerous. Theywere "cestracio philippi" sharks, with brown backs and whitish bellies,armed with eleven rows of teeth -- eyed sharks -- their throat being markedwith a large black spot surrounded with white like an eye. There were alsosome Isabella sharks, with rounded snouts marked with dark spots. These

powerful creatures often hurled themselves at the windows of the saloonwith such violence as to make us feel very insecure. At such times Ned Landwas no longer master of himself. He wanted to go to the surface and harpoonthe monsters, particularly certain smooth-hound sharks, whose mouth isstudded with teeth like a mosaic; and large tiger-sharks nearly six yardslong, the last named of which seemed to excite him more particularly. Butthe Nautilus, accelerating her speed, easily left the most rapid of thembehind.

The 27th of January, at the entrance of the vast Bay of Bengal, we metrepeatedly a forbidding spectacle, dead bodies floating on the surface ofthe water. They were the dead of the Indian villages, carried by the Gangesto the level of the sea, and which the vultures, the only undertakers of

the country, had not been able to devour. But the sharks did not fail tohelp them at their funeral work.

About seven o'clock in the evening, the Nautilus, half- immersed, wassailing in a sea of milk. At first sight the ocean seemed lactified. Was itthe effect of the lunar rays? No; for the moon, scarcely two days old, wasstill lying hidden under the horizon in the rays of the sun. The whole sky,though lit by the sidereal rays, seemed black by contrast with thewhiteness of the waters.



Conseil could not believe his eyes, and questioned me as to the causeof this strange phenomenon. Happily I was able to answer him.

"It is called a milk sea," I explained. "A large extent of whitewavelets often to be seen on the coasts of Amboyna, and in these parts ofthe sea."

"But, sir," said Conseil, "can you tell me what causes ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 147

such an effect? for I suppose the water is not really turned into milk."

"No, my boy; and the whiteness which surprises you is caused only bythe presence of myriads of infusoria, a sort of luminous little worm,gelatinous and without colour, of the thickness of a hair, and whose lengthis not more than seven-thousandths of an inch. These insects adhere to oneanother sometimes for several leagues."

"Several leagues!" exclaimed Conseil.

"Yes, my boy; and you need not try to compute the number of theseinfusoria. You will not be able, for, if I am not mistaken, ships havefloated on these milk seas for more than forty miles."

Towards midnight the sea suddenly resumed its usual colour; but behindus, even to the limits of the horizon, the sky reflected the whitenedwaves, and for a long time seemed impregnated with the vague glimmerings ofan aurora borealis.

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Chapter 2.2

A NOVEL PROPOSAL OF CAPTAIN NEMO'S

ON THE 28th of February, when at noon the Nautilus came to the surface

of the sea, in 9° 4' N. lat., there was land in sight about eight miles towestward. The first thing I noticed was a range of mountains about twothousand feet high, the shapes of which were most capricious. On taking thebearings, I knew that we were nearing the island of Ceylon, the pearl whichhangs from the lobe of the Indian Peninsula.

Captain Nemo and his second appeared at this moment. The Captainglanced at the map. Then turning to me, said:

"The Island of Ceylon, noted for its pearl-fisheries. Would you liketo visit one of them, M. Aronnax?"

"Certainly, Captain."

"Well, the thing is easy. Though, if we see the fisheries, we shallnot see the fishermen. The annual exportation has ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 148

not yet begun. Never mind, I will give orders to make for the Gulf ofManaar, where we shall arrive in the night."

The Captain said something to his second, who immediately went out.



Soon the Nautilus returned to her native element, and the manometer showedthat she was about thirty feet deep.

"Well, sir," said Captain Nemo, "you and your companions shall visitthe Bank of Manaar, and if by chance some fisherman should be there, weshall see him at work."

"Agreed, Captain!"

"By the bye, M. Aronnax you are not afraid of sharks?"

"Sharks!" exclaimed I.

This question seemed a very hard one.

"Well?" continued Captain Nemo.

"I admit, Captain, that I am not yet very familiar with that kind offish."

"We are accustomed to them," replied Captain Nemo, "and in time youwill be too. However, we shall be armed, and on the road we may be able tohunt some of the tribe. It is interesting. So, till to-morrow, sir, andearly."

This said in a careless tone, Captain Nemo left the saloon. Now, ifyou were invited to hunt the bear in the mountains of Switzerland, whatwould you say?

"Very well! to-morrow we will go and hunt the bear." If you were askedto hunt the lion in the plains of Atlas, or the tiger in the Indianjungles, what would you say?

"Ha! ha! it seems we are going to hunt the tiger or the lion!" Butwhen you are invited to hunt the shark in its natural element, you wouldperhaps reflect before accepting the invitation. As for myself, I passed myhand over my forehead, on which stood large drops of cold perspiration.

"Let us reflect," said I, "and take our time. Hunting otters in submarineforests, as we did in the Island of Crespo, will pass; but going up anddown at the bottom of the sea, where one is almost certain to meet sharks,is quite another thing! I know well that in certain countries, particularlyin the Andaman Islands, the negroes never hesitate to attack them with adagger in one hand and a running noose in the other; but I also know thatfew who affront those ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 149

creatures ever return alive. However, I am not a negro, and if I were Ithink a little hesitation in this case would not be ill-timed."

At this moment Conseil and the Canadian entered, quite composed, andeven joyous. They knew not what awaited them.

"Faith, sir," said Ned Land, "your Captain Nemo -- the devil take him!-- has just made us a very pleasant offer."

"Ah!" said I, "you know?"

"If agreeable to you, sir," interrupted Conseil, "the commander of theNautilus has invited us to visit the magnificent Ceylon fisheries



to-morrow, in your company; he did it kindly, and behaved like a realgentleman."

"He said nothing more?"

"Nothing more, sir, except that he had already spoken to you of thislittle walk."

"Sir," said Conseil, "would you give us some details of the pearlfishery?"

"As to the fishing itself," I asked, "or the incidents, which?"

"On the fishing," replied the Canadian; "before entering upon theground, it is as well to know something about it."

"Very well; sit down, my friends, and I will teach you."

Ned and Conseil seated themselves on an ottoman, and the first thingthe Canadian asked was:

"Sir, what is a pearl?"

"My worthy Ned," I answered, "to the poet, a pearl is a tear of the

sea; to the Orientals, it is a drop of dew solidified; to the ladies, it isa jewel of an oblong shape, of a brilliancy of mother-of-pearl substance,which they wear on their fingers, their necks, or their ears; for thechemist it is a mixture of phosphate and carbonate of lime, with a littlegelatine; and lastly, for naturalists, it is simply a morbid secretion ofthe organ that produces the mother- of-pearl amongst certain bivalves."

"Branch of molluscs," said Conseil.

"Precisely so, my learned Conseil; and, amongst these testacea theearshell, the tridacnae, the turbots, in a word, all those which secretemother-of-pearl, that is, the blue, ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 150

bluish, violet, or white substance which lines the interior of theirshells, are capable of producing pearls."

"Mussels too?" asked the Canadian.

"Yes, mussels of certain waters in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Saxony,Bohemia, and France."

"Good! For the future I shall pay attention," replied the Canadian.

"But," I continued, "the particular mollusc which secretes the pearl

is the pearl-oyster. The pearl is nothing but a formation deposited in aglobular form, either adhering to the oyster-shell or buried in the foldsof the creature. On the shell it is fast: in the flesh it is loose; butalways has for a kernel a small hard substance, maybe a barren egg, maybe agrain of sand, around which the pearly matter deposits itself year afteryear successively, and by thin concentric layers."

"Are many pearls found in the same oyster?" asked Conseil.

"Yes, my boy. Some are a perfect casket. One oyster has been



"In the water."

"Faith, with a good harpoon! You know, sir, these sharks areill-fashioned beasts. They turn on their bellies to seize you, and in thattime -- "

Ned Land had a way of saying "seize" which made my blood run cold.

"Well, and you, Conseil, what do you think of sharks?"

"Me!" said Conseil. "I will be frank, sir."

"So much the better," thought I.

"If you, sir, mean to face the sharks, I do not see why your faithfulservant should not face them with you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 152

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Chapter 2.3

A PEARL OF TEN MILLIONS

THE next morning at four o'clock I was awakened by the steward whomCaptain Nemo had placed at my service. I rose hurriedly, dressed, and wentinto the saloon.

Captain Nemo was awaiting me.

"M. Aronnax," said he, "are you ready to start?"

"I am ready."

"Then please to follow me."

"And my companions, Captain?"

"They have been told and are waiting."

"Are we not to put on our diver's dresses?" asked I.

"Not yet. I have not allowed the Nautilus to come too near this coast,and we are some distance from the Manaar Bank; but the boat is ready, andwill take us to the exact point of disembarking, which will save us a longway. It carries our diving apparatus, which we will put on when we beginour submarine journey."

Captain Nemo conducted me to the central staircase, which led on theplatform. Ned and Conseil were already there, delighted at the idea of the"pleasure party" which was preparing. Five sailors from the Nautilus, withtheir oars, waited in the boat, which had been made fast against the side.

The night was still dark. Layers of clouds covered the sky, allowingbut few stars to be seen. I looked on the side where the land lay, and sawnothing but a dark line enclosing three parts of the horizon, fromsouth-west to north- west. The Nautilus, having returned during the night



up the western coast of Ceylon, was now west of the bay, or rather gulf,formed by the mainland and the Island of Manaar. There, under the darkwaters, stretched the pintadine bank, an inexhaustible field of pearls, thelength of which is more than twenty miles.

Captain Nemo, Ned Land, Conseil, and I took our places in the stern ofthe boat. The master went to the tiller; his ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 153

four companions leaned on their oars, the painter was cast off, and wesheered off.

The boat went towards the south; the oarsmen did not hurry. I noticedthat their strokes, strong in the water, only followed each other every tenseconds, according to the method generally adopted in the navy. Whilst thecraft was running by its own velocity, the liquid drops struck the darkdepths of the waves crisply like spats of melted lead. A little billow,spreading wide, gave a slight roll to the boat, and some samphire reedsflapped before it.

We were silent. What was Captain Nemo thinking of? Perhaps of the landhe was approaching, and which he found too near to him, contrary to theCanadian's opinion, who thought it too far off. As to Conseil, he was

merely there from curiosity.

About half-past five the first tints on the horizon showed the upperline of coast more distinctly. Flat enough in the east, it rose a little tothe south. Five miles still lay between us, and it was indistinct owing tothe mist on the water. At six o'clock it became suddenly daylight, withthat rapidity peculiar to tropical regions, which know neither dawn nortwilight. The solar rays pierced the curtain of clouds, piled up on theeastern horizon, and the radiant orb rose rapidly. I saw land distinctly,with a few trees scattered here and there. The boat neared Manaar Island,which was rounded to the south. Captain Nemo rose from his seat and watchedthe sea.

At a sign from him the anchor was dropped, but the chain scarcely ran,for it was little more than a yard deep, and this spot was one of thehighest points of the bank of pintadines.

"Here we are, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo. "You see that enclosedbay? Here, in a month will be assembled the numerous fishing boats of theexporters, and these are the waters their divers will ransack so boldly.Happily, this bay is well situated for that kind of fishing. It issheltered from the strongest winds; the sea is never very rough here, whichmakes it favourable for the diver's work. We will now put on our dresses,and begin our walk." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 154

I did not answer, and, while watching the suspected waves, began withthe help of the sailors to put on my heavy sea-dress. Captain Nemo and mycompanions were also dressing. None of the Nautilus men were to accompanyus on this new excursion.

Soon we were enveloped to the throat in india-rubber clothing; the airapparatus fixed to our backs by braces. As to the Ruhmkorff apparatus,there was no necessity for it. Before putting my head into the copper cap,I had asked the question of the Captain.



"They would be useless," he replied. "We are going to no great depth,and the solar rays will be enough to light our walk. Besides, it would notbe prudent to carry the electric light in these waters; its brilliancymight attract some of the dangerous inhabitants of the coast mostinopportunely."

As Captain Nemo pronounced these words, I turned to Conseil and NedLand. But my two friends had already encased their heads in the metal cap,and they could neither hear nor answer.

One last question remained to ask of Captain Nemo.

"And our arms?" asked I; "our guns?"

"Guns! What for? Do not mountaineers attack the bear with a dagger intheir hand, and is not steel surer than lead? Here is a strong blade; putit in your belt, and we start."

I looked at my companions; they were armed like us, and, more thanthat, Ned Land was brandishing an enormous harpoon, which he had placed inthe boat before leaving the Nautilus.

Then, following the Captain's example, I allowed myself to be dressed

in the heavy copper helmet, and our reservoirs of air were at once inactivity. An instant after we were landed, one after the other, in abouttwo yards of water upon an even sand. Captain Nemo made a sign with hishand, and we followed him by a gentle declivity till we disappeared underthe waves.

At about seven o'clock we found ourselves at last surveying ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 155

the oyster-banks on which the pearl-oysters are reproduced by millions.

Captain Nemo pointed with his hand to the enormous heap of oysters;

and I could well understand that this mine was inexhaustible, for Nature'screative power is far beyond man's instinct of destruction. Ned Land,faithful to his instinct, hastened to fill a net which he carried by hisside with some of the finest specimens. But we could not stop. We mustfollow the Captain, who seemed to guide himself by paths known only tohimself. The ground was sensibly rising, and sometimes, on holding up myarm, it was above the surface of the sea. Then the level of the bank wouldsink capriciously. Often we rounded high rocks scarped into pyramids. Intheir dark fractures huge crustacea, perched upon their high claws likesome war-machine, watched us with fixed eyes, and under our feet crawledvarious kinds of annelides.

At this moment there opened before us a large grotto dug in a

picturesque heap of rocks and carpeted with all the thick warp of thesubmarine flora. At first it seemed very dark to me. The solar rays seemedto be extinguished by successive gradations, until its vague transparencybecame nothing more than drowned light. Captain Nemo entered; we followed.My eyes soon accustomed themselves to this relative state of darkness. Icould distinguish the arches springing capriciously from natural pillars,standing broad upon their granite base, like the heavy columns of Tuscanarchitecture. Why had our incomprehensible guide led us to the bottom ofthis submarine crypt? I was soon to know. After descending a rather sharpdeclivity, our feet trod the bottom of a kind of circular pit. There



Captain Nemo stopped, and with his hand indicated an object I had not yetperceived. It was an oyster of extraordinary dimensions, a gigantictridacne, a goblet which could have contained a whole lake of holy-water, abasin the breadth of which was more than two yards and a half, andconsequently larger than that ornamenting the saloon of the Nautilus. Iapproached this extraordinary mollusc. It adhered by its filaments to atable of granite, and there, isolated, it developed ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 156

itself in the calm waters of the grotto. I estimated the weight of thistridacne at 600 lb. Such an oyster would contain 30 lb. of meat; and onemust have the stomach of a Gargantua to demolish some dozens of them.

Captain Nemo was evidently acquainted with the existence of thisbivalve, and seemed to have a particular motive in verifying the actualstate of this tridacne. The shells were a little open; the Captain camenear and put his dagger between to prevent them from closing; then with hishand he raised the membrane with its fringed edges, which formed a cloakfor the creature. There, between the folded plaits, I saw a loose pearl,whose size equalled that of a coco-nut. Its globular shape, perfectclearness, and admirable lustre made it altogether a jewel of inestimablevalue. Carried away by my curiosity, I stretched out my hand to seize it,weigh it, and touch it; but the Captain stopped me, made a sign of refusal,

and quickly withdrew his dagger, and the two shells closed suddenly. I thenunderstood Captain Nemo's intention. In leaving this pearl hidden in themantle of the tridacne he was allowing it to grow slowly. Each year thesecretions of the mollusc would add new concentric circles. I estimated itsvalue at L500,000 at least.

After ten minutes Captain Nemo stopped suddenly. I thought he hadhalted previously to returning. No; by a gesture be bade us crouch besidehim in a deep fracture of the rock, his hand pointed to one part of theliquid mass, which I watched attentively.

About five yards from me a shadow appeared, and sank to the ground.The disquieting idea of sharks shot through my mind, but I was mistaken;

and once again it was not a monster of the ocean that we had anything to dowith.

It was a man, a living man, an Indian, a fisherman, a poor devil who,I suppose, had come to glean before the harvest. I could see the bottom ofhis canoe anchored some feet above his head. He dived and went upsuccessively. A stone held between his feet, cut in the shape of a sugarloaf, whilst a rope fastened him to his boat, helped him to descend morerapidly. This was all his apparatus. Reaching the bottom, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 157

about five yards deep, he went on his knees and filled his bag with oysters

picked up at random. Then he went up, emptied it, pulled up his stone, andbegan the operation once more, which lasted thirty seconds.

The diver did not see us. The shadow of the rock hid us from sight.And how should this poor Indian ever dream that men, beings like himself,should be there under the water watching his movements and losing no detailof the fishing? Several times he went up in this way, and dived again. Hedid not carry away more than ten at each plunge, for he was obliged to pullthem from the bank to which they adhered by means of their strong byssus.And how many of those oysters for which he risked his life had no pearl in



them! I watched him closely; his manoeuvres were regular; and for the spaceof half an hour no danger appeared to threaten him.

I was beginning to accustom myself to the sight of this interestingfishing, when suddenly, as the Indian was on the ground, I saw him make agesture of terror, rise, and make a spring to return to the surface of thesea.

I understood his dread. A gigantic shadow appeared just above theunfortunate diver. It was a shark of enormous size advancing diagonally,his eyes on fire, and his jaws open. I was mute with horror and unable tomove.

The voracious creature shot towards the Indian, who threw himself onone side to avoid the shark's fins; but not its tail, for it struck hischest and stretched him on the ground.

This scene lasted but a few seconds: the shark returned, and, turningon his back, prepared himself for cutting the Indian in two, when I sawCaptain Nemo rise suddenly, and then, dagger in hand, walk straight to themonster, ready to fight face to face with him. The very moment the sharkwas going to snap the unhappy fisherman in two, he perceived his newadversary, and, turning over, made straight towards him.

I can still see Captain Nemo's position. Holding himself welltogether, he waited for the shark with admirable coolness; and, when itrushed at him, threw himself on one side ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 158

with wonderful quickness, avoiding the shock, and burying his dagger deepinto its side. But it was not all over. A terrible combat ensued.

The shark had seemed to roar, if I might say so. The blood rushed intorrents from its wound. The sea was dyed red, and through the opaqueliquid I could distinguish nothing more. Nothing more until the momentwhen, like lightning, I saw the undaunted Captain hanging on to one of the

creature's fins, struggling, as it were, hand to hand with the monster, anddealing successive blows at his enemy, yet still unable to give a decisiveone.

The shark's struggles agitated the water with such fury that therocking threatened to upset me.

I wanted to go to the Captain's assistance, but, nailed to the spotwith horror, I could not stir.

I saw the haggard eye; I saw the different phases of the fight. TheCaptain fell to the earth, upset by the enormous mass which leant upon him.The shark's jaws opened wide, like a pair of factory shears, and it would

have been all over with the Captain; but, quick as thought, harpoon inhand, Ned Land rushed towards the shark and struck it with its sharp point.

The waves were impregnated with a mass of blood. They rocked under theshark's movements, which beat them with indescribable fury. Ned Land hadnot missed his aim. It was the monster's death-rattle. Struck to the heart,it struggled in dreadful convulsions, the shock of which overthrew Conseil.

But Ned Land had disentangled the Captain, who, getting up without anywound, went straight to the Indian, quickly cut the cord which held him to



his stone, took him in his arms, and, with a sharp blow of his heel,mounted to the surface.

We all three followed in a few seconds, saved by a miracle, andreached the fisherman's boat.

Captain Nemo's first care was to recall the unfortunate man to lifeagain. I did not think he could succeed. I hoped so, for the poorcreature's immersion was not long; but the blow from the shark's tail mighthave been his death-blow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 159

Happily, with the Captain's and Conseil's sharp friction, I sawconsciousness return by degrees. He opened his eyes. What was his surprise,his terror even, at seeing four great copper heads leaning over him! And,above all, what must he have thought when Captain Nemo, drawing from thepocket of his dress a bag of pearls, placed it in his hand! This munificentcharity from the man of the waters to the poor Cingalese was accepted witha trembling hand. His wondering eyes showed that he knew not to what super-human beings he owed both fortune and life.

At a sign from the Captain we regained the bank, and, following theroad already traversed, came in about half an hour to the anchor which held

the canoe of the Nautilus to the earth.

Once on board, we each, with the help of the sailors, got rid of theheavy copper helmet.

Captain Nemo's first word was to the Canadian.

"Thank you, Master Land," said he.

"It was in revenge, Captain," replied Ned Land. "I owed you that."

A ghastly smile passed across the Captain's lips, and that was all.

"To the Nautilus," said he.

The boat flew over the waves. Some minutes after we met the shark'sdead body floating. By the black marking of the extremity of its fins, Irecognised the terrible melanopteron of the Indian Seas, of the species ofshark so properly called. It was more than twenty-five feet long; itsenormous mouth occupied one-third of its body. It was an adult, as wasknown by its six rows of teeth placed in an isosceles triangle in the upperjaw.

Whilst I was contemplating this inert mass, a dozen of these voraciousbeasts appeared round the boat; and, without noticing us, threw themselvesupon the dead body and fought with one another for the pieces.

At half-past eight we were again on board the Nautilus. There Ireflected on the incidents which had taken place in our excursion to theManaar Bank.

Two conclusions I must inevitably draw from it -- one ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 160

bearing upon the unparalleled courage of Captain Nemo, the other upon his



devotion to a human being, a representative of that race from which he fledbeneath the sea. Whatever he might say, this strange man had not yetsucceeded in entirely crushing his heart.

When I made this observation to him, he answered in a slightly movedtone:

"That Indian, sir, is an inhabitant of an oppressed country; and I amstill, and shall be, to my last breath, one of them!"

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Chapter 2.4

THE RED SEA

IN THE course of the day of the 29th of January, the island of Ceylondisappeared under the horizon, and the Nautilus, at a speed of twenty milesan hour, slid into the labyrinth of canals which separate the Maldives fromthe Laccadives. It coasted even the Island of Kiltan, a land originallycoraline, discovered by Vasco da Gama in 1499, and one of the nineteenprincipal islands of the Laccadive Archipelago, situated between 10° and14° 30' N. lat., and 69° 50' 72" E. long.

We had made 16,220 miles, or 7,500 (French) leagues from ourstarting-point in the Japanese Seas.

The next day (30th January), when the Nautilus went to the surface ofthe ocean there was no land in sight. Its course was N.N.E., in thedirection of the Sea of Oman, between Arabia and the Indian Peninsula,which serves as an outlet to the Persian Gulf. It was evidently a blockwithout any possible egress. Where was Captain Nemo taking us to? I couldnot say. This, however, did not satisfy the Canadian, who that day came tome asking where we were going.

"We are going where our Captain's fancy takes us, Master Ned."

"His fancy cannot take us far, then," said the Canadian. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 161

"The Persian Gulf has no outlet: and, if we do go in, it will not be longbefore we are out again."

"Very well, then, we will come out again, Master Land; and if, afterthe Persian Gulf, the Nautilus would like to visit the Red Sea, the Straitsof Bab-el-mandeb are there to give us entrance."

"I need not tell you, sir," said Ned Land, "that the Red Sea is asmuch closed as the Gulf, as the Isthmus of Suez is not yet cut; and, if it

was, a boat as mysterious as ours would not risk itself in a canal cut withsluices. And again, the Red Sea is not the road to take us back to Europe."

"But I never said we were going back to Europe."

"What do you suppose, then?"

"I suppose that, after visiting the curious coasts of Arabia andEgypt, the Nautilus will go down the Indian Ocean again, perhaps cross theChannel of Mozambique, perhaps off the Mascarenhas, so as to gain the Cape



of Good Hope."

"And once at the Cape of Good Hope?" asked the Canadian, with peculiaremphasis.

"Well, we shall penetrate into that Atlantic which we do not yet know.Ah! friend Ned, you are getting tired of this journey under the sea; youare surfeited with the incessantly varying spectacle of submarine wonders.For my part, I shall be sorry to see the end of a voyage which it is givento so few men to make."

For four days, till the 3rd of February, the Nautilus scoured the Seaof Oman, at various speeds and at various depths. It seemed to go atrandom, as if hesitating as to which road it should follow, but we neverpassed the Tropic of Cancer.

In quitting this sea we sighted Muscat for an instant, one of the mostimportant towns of the country of Oman. I admired its strange aspect,surrounded by black rocks upon which its white houses and forts stood inrelief. I saw the rounded domes of its mosques, the elegant points of itsminarets, its fresh and verdant terraces. But it was only a vision! TheNautilus soon sank under the waves of that part of the sea. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 162

We passed along the Arabian coast of Mahrah and Hadramaut, for adistance of six miles, its undulating line of mountains being occasionallyrelieved by some ancient ruin. The 5th of February we at last entered theGulf of Aden, a perfect funnel introduced into the neck of Bab-el- mandeb,through which the Indian waters entered the Red Sea.

The 6th of February, the Nautilus floated in sight of Aden, perchedupon a promontory which a narrow isthmus joins to the mainland, a kind ofinaccessible Gibraltar, the fortifications of which were rebuilt by theEnglish after taking possession in 1839. I caught a glimpse of the octagonminarets of this town, which was at one time the richest commercialmagazine on the coast.

I certainly thought that Captain Nemo, arrived at this point, wouldback out again; but I was mistaken, for be did no such thing, much to mysurprise.

The next day, the 7th of February, we entered the Straits ofBab-el-mandeb, the name of which, in the Arab tongue, means The Gate ofTears.

To twenty miles in breadth, it is only thirty-two in length. And forthe Nautilus, starting at full speed, the crossing was scarcely the work ofan hour. But I saw nothing, not even the Island of Perim, with which theBritish Government has fortified the position of Aden. There were too many

English or French steamers of the line of Suez to Bombay, Calcutta toMelbourne, and from Bourbon to the Mauritius, furrowing this narrowpassage, for the Nautilus to venture to show itself. So it remainedprudently below. At last about noon, we were in the waters of the Red Sea.

I would not even seek to understand the caprice which had decidedCaptain Nemo upon entering the gulf. But I quite approved of the Nautilusentering it. Its speed was lessened: sometimes it kept on the surface,sometimes it dived to avoid a vessel, and thus I was able to observe theupper and lower parts of this curious sea.



The 8th of February, from the first dawn of day, Mocha came in sight,now a ruined town, whose walls would fall at a gunshot, yet which sheltershere and there some verdant ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 163

date-trees; once an important city, containing six public markets, andtwenty-six mosques, and whose walls, defended by fourteen forts, formed agirdle of two miles in circumference.

The Nautilus then approached the African shore, where the depth of thesea was greater. There, between two waters clear as crystal, through theopen panels we were allowed to contemplate the beautiful bushes ofbrilliant coral and large blocks of rock clothed with a splendid fur ofgreen variety of sites and landscapes along these sandbanks and algae andfuci. What an indescribable spectacle, and what variety of sites andlandscapes along these sandbanks and volcanic islands which bound theLibyan coast! But where these shrubs appeared in all their beauty was onthe eastern coast, which the Nautilus soon gained. It was on the coast ofTehama, for there not only did this display of zoophytes flourish beneaththe level of the sea, but they also formed picturesque interlacings whichunfolded themselves about sixty feet above the surface, more capricious butless highly coloured than those whose freshness was kept up by the vital

power of the waters.

What charming hours I passed thus at the window of the saloon! Whatnew specimens of submarine flora and fauna did I admire under thebrightness of our electric lantern!

The 9th of February the Nautilus floated in the broadest part of theRed Sea, which is comprised between Souakin, on the west coast, andKomfidah, on the east coast, with a diameter of ninety miles.

That day at noon, after the bearings were taken, Captain Nemo mountedthe platform, where I happened to be, and I was determined not to let himgo down again without at least pressing him regarding his ulterior

projects. As soon as he saw me he approached and graciously offered me acigar.

"Well, sir, does this Red Sea please you? Have you sufficientlyobserved the wonders it covers, its fishes, its zoophytes, its parterres ofsponges, and its forests of coral? Did you catch a glimpse of the towns onits borders?"

"Yes, Captain Nemo," I replied; "and the Nautilus is ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 164

wonderfully fitted for such a study. Ah! it is an intelligent boat!"

"Yes, sir, intelligent and invulnerable. It fears neither the terribletempests of the Red Sea, nor its currents, nor its sandbanks."

"Certainly," said I, "this sea is quoted as one of the worst, and inthe time of the ancients, if I am not mistaken, its reputation wasdetestable."

"Detestable, M. Aronnax. The Greek and Latin historians do not speakfavourably of it, and Strabo says it is very dangerous during the Etesian



------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 167

Arabia. It took four days to go up this canal, and it was so wide that twotriremes could go abreast. It was carried on by Darius, the son ofHystaspes, and probably finished by Ptolemy II. Strabo saw it navigated:but its decline from the point of departure, near Bubastes, to the Red Seawas so slight that it was only navigable for a few months in the year. Thiscanal answered all commercial purposes to the age of Antonius, when it wasabandoned and blocked up with sand. Restored by order of the Caliph Omar,it was definitely destroyed in 761 or 762 by Caliph Al-Mansor, who wishedto prevent the arrival of provisions to Mohammed-ben-Abdallah, who hadrevolted against him. During the expedition into Egypt, your GeneralBonaparte discovered traces of the works in the Desert of Suez; and,surprised by the tide, he nearly perished before regaining Hadjaroth, atthe very place where Moses had encamped three thousand years before him."

"Well, Captain, what the ancients dared not undertake, this junctionbetween the two seas, which will shorten the road from Cadiz to India, M.Lesseps has succeeded in doing; and before long he will have changed Africainto an immense island."

"Yes, M. Aronnax; you have the right to be proud of your countryman.Such a man brings more honour to a nation than great captains. He began,

like so many others, with disgust and rebuffs; but he has triumphed, for hehas the genius of will. And it is sad to think that a work like that, whichought to have been an international work and which would have sufficed tomake a reign illustrious, should have succeeded by the energy of one man.All honour to M. Lesseps!"

"Yes! honour to the great citizen," I replied, surprised by the mannerin which Captain Nemo had just spoken.

"Unfortunately," he continued, "I cannot take you through the SuezCanal; but you will be able to see the long jetty of Port Said afterto-morrow, when we shall be in the Mediterranean."

"The Mediterranean!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, sir; does that astonish you?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 168

"What astonishes me is to think that we shall be there the day afterto-morrow."

"Indeed?"

"Yes, Captain, although by this time I ought to have accustomed myselfto be surprised at nothing since I have been on board your boat."

"But the cause of this surprise?"

"Well! it is the fearful speed you will have to put on the Nautilus,if the day after to-morrow she is to be in the Mediterranean, having madethe round of Africa, and doubled the Cape of Good Hope!"

"Who told you that she would make the round of Africa and double theCape of Good Hope, sir?"



to windward. The Nautilus returned to its submarine navigation; but atnoon, when her bearings were taken, the sea being deserted, she rose againto her waterline.

Accompanied by Ned and Conseil, I seated myself on the platform. Thecoast on the eastern side looked like a mass faintly printed upon a dampfog.

We were leaning on the sides of the pinnace, talking of ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 170

one thing and another, when Ned Land, stretching out his hand towards aspot on the sea, said:

"Do you see anything there, sir?"

"No, Ned," I replied; "but I have not your eyes, you know."

"Look well," said Ned, "there, on the starboard beam, about the heightof the lantern! Do you not see a mass which seems to move?"

"Certainly," said I, after close attention; "I see something like along black body on the top of the water."

And certainly before long the black object was not more than a milefrom us. It looked like a great sandbank deposited in the open sea. It wasa gigantic dugong!

Ned Land looked eagerly. His eyes shone with covetousness at the sightof the animal. His hand seemed ready to harpoon it. One would have thoughthe was awaiting the moment to throw himself into the sea and attack it inits element.

At this instant Captain Nemo appeared on the platform. He saw thedugong, understood the Canadian's attitude, and, addressing him, said:

"If you held a harpoon just now, Master Land, would it not burn yourhand?"

"Just so, sir."

"And you would not be sorry to go back, for one day, to your trade ofa fisherman and to add this cetacean to the list of those you have alreadykilled?"

"I should not, sir."

"Well, you can try."

"Thank you, sir," said Ned Land, his eyes flaming.

"Only," continued the Captain, "I advise you for your own sake not tomiss the creature."

"Is the dugong dangerous to attack?" I asked, in spite of theCanadian's shrug of the shoulders.

"Yes," replied the Captain; "sometimes the animal turns upon itsassailants and overturns their boat. But for Master Land this danger is not



The boat, rowed by strong arms, flew on its track. Several times itapproached within some few yards, and the Canadian was ready to strike, butthe dugong made off with a sudden plunge, and it was impossible to reachit.

Imagine the passion which excited impatient Ned Land! He hurled at theunfortunate creature the most energetic expletives in the English tongue.For my part, I was only vexed to see the dugong escape all our attacks.

We pursued it without relaxation for an hour, and I began to think itwould prove difficult to capture, when the animal, possessed with theperverse idea of vengeance of which he had cause to repent, turned upon thepinnace and assailed us in its turn.

This manoeuvre did not escape the Canadian.

"Look out!" he cried.

The coxswain said some words in his outlandish tongue, doubtlesswarning the men to keep on their guard.

The dugong came within twenty feet of the boat, stopped, sniffed theair briskly with its large nostrils (not pierced at the extremity, but in

the upper part of its muzzle). Then, taking a spring, he threw himself uponus.

The pinnace could not avoid the shock, and half upset, shipped atleast two tons of water, which had to be emptied; but, thanks to thecoxswain, we caught it sideways, not full front, so we were not quiteoverturned. While Ned Land, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 173

clinging to the bows, belaboured the gigantic animal with blows from hisharpoon, the creature's teeth were buried in the gunwale, and it lifted thewhole thing out of the water, as a lion does a roebuck. We were upset over

one another, and I know not how the adventure would have ended, if theCanadian, still enraged with the beast, had not struck it to the heart.

I heard its teeth grind on the iron plate, and the dugong disappeared,carrying the harpoon with him. But the barrel soon returned to the surface,and shortly after the body of the animal, turned on its back. The boat cameup with it, took it in tow, and made straight for the Nautilus.

It required tackle of enormous strength to hoist the dugong on to theplatform. It weighed 10,000 lb.

The next day, 11th February, the larder of the Nautilus was enrichedby some more delicate game. A flight of sea- swallows rested on the

Nautilus. It was a species of the Sterna nilotica, peculiar to Egypt; itsbeak is black, head grey and pointed, the eye surrounded by white spots,the back, wings, and tail of a greyish colour, the belly and throat white,and claws red. They also took some dozen of Nile ducks, a wild bird of highflavour, its throat and upper part of the head white with black spots.

About five o'clock in the evening we sighted to the north the Cape ofRas-Mohammed. This cape forms the extremity of Arabia Petraea, comprisedbetween the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Acabah.



which shed its rays from the back of the cabin to the other extremity ofthe platform.

"Now," said Captain Nemo, "let us try to make our passage."

Electric wires connected the pilot's cage with the machinery room, andfrom there the Captain could communicate simultaneously to his Nautilus thedirection and the speed. He pressed a metal knob, and at once the speed ofthe screw diminished.

I looked in silence at the high straight wall we were running by atthis moment, the immovable base of a massive sandy coast. We followed itthus for an hour only some few yards off.

Captain Nemo did not take his eye from the knob, suspended by its twoconcentric circles in the cabin. At a simple gesture, the pilot modifiedthe course of the Nautilus every instant.

I had placed myself at the port-scuttle, and saw some magnificentsubstructures of coral, zoophytes, seaweed, and fucus, agitating theirenormous claws, which stretched out from the fissures of the rock.

At a quarter-past ten, the Captain himself took the helm. A large

gallery, black and deep, opened before us. The Nautilus went boldly intoit. A strange roaring was heard round its sides. It was the waters of theRed Sea, which the incline of the tunnel precipitated violently towards theMediterranean. The Nautilus went with the torrent, rapid as an arrow, inspite of the efforts of the machinery, which, in order to offer moreeffective resistance, beat the waves with reversed screw.

On the walls of the narrow passage I could see nothing but brilliantrays, straight lines, furrows of fire, traced by the great speed, under thebrilliant electric light. My heart beat fast.

At thirty-five minutes past ten, Captain Nemo quitted the helm, and,turning to me, said:

"The Mediterranean!"

In less than twenty minutes, the Nautilus, carried along by thetorrent, had passed through the Isthmus of Suez.

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 176

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.6

THE GRECIAN ARCHIPELAGO

THE next day, the 12th of February, at the dawn of day, the Nautilusrose to the surface. I hastened on to the platform. Three miles to thesouth the dim outline of Pelusium was to be seen. A torrent had carried usfrom one sea to another. About seven o'clock Ned and Conseil joined me.

"Well, Sir Naturalist," said the Canadian, in a slightly jovial tone,"and the Mediterranean?"



"In that case, I should seek to make myself master of the pinnace. Iknow how it is worked. We must get inside, and the bolts once drawn, weshall come to the surface of the water, without even the pilot, who is inthe bows, perceiving our flight."

"Well, Ned, watch for the opportunity; but do not forget that a hitchwill ruin us."

"I will not forget, sir."

"And now, Ned, would you like to know what I think of your project?"

"Certainly, M. Aronnax." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 179

"Well, I think -- I do not say I hope -- I think that this favourableopportunity will never present itself."

"Why not?"

"Because Captain Nemo cannot hide from himself that we have not givenup all hope of regaining our liberty, and he will be on his guard, aboveall, in the seas and in the sight of European coasts."

"We shall see," replied Ned Land, shaking his head determinedly.

"And now, Ned Land," I added, "let us stop here. Not another word onthe subject. The day that you are ready, come and let us know, and we willfollow you. I rely entirely upon you."

Thus ended a conversation which, at no very distant time, led to suchgrave results. I must say here that facts seemed to confirm my foresight,to the Canadian's great despair. Did Captain Nemo distrust us in thesefrequented seas? or did he only wish to hide himself from the numerousvessels, of all nations, which ploughed the Mediterranean? I could nottell; but we were oftener between waters and far from the coast. Or, if the

Nautilus did emerge, nothing was to be seen but the pilot's cage; andsometimes it went to great depths, for, between the Grecian Archipelago andAsia Minor we could not touch the bottom by more than a thousand fathoms.

Thus I only knew we were near the Island of Carpathos, one of theSporades, by Captain Nemo reciting these lines from Virgil:

"Est Carpathio Neptuni gurgite vates,

Caeruleus Proteus," as he pointed to a spot on the planisphere.

It was indeed the ancient abode of Proteus, the old shepherd ofNeptune's flocks, now the Island of Scarpanto, situated between Rhodes and

Crete. I saw nothing but the granite base through the glass panels of thesaloon.

The next day, the 14th of February, I resolved to employ some hours instudying the fishes of the Archipelago; but for some reason or other thepanels remained hermetically sealed. Upon taking the course of theNautilus, I found that ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 180



we were going towards Candia, the ancient Isle of Crete. At the time Iembarked on the Abraham Lincoln, the whole of this island had risen ininsurrection against the despotism of the Turks. But how the insurgents hadfared since that time I was absolutely ignorant, and it was not CaptainNemo, deprived of all land communications, who could tell me.

I made no allusion to this event when that night I found myself alonewith him in the saloon. Besides, he seemed to be taciturn and preoccupied.Then, contrary to his custom, he ordered both panels to be opened, and,going from one to the other, observed the mass of waters attentively. Towhat end I could not guess; so, on my side, I employed my time in studyingthe fish passing before my eyes.

In the midst of the waters a man appeared, a diver, carrying at hisbelt a leathern purse. It was not a body abandoned to the waves; it was aliving man, swimming with a strong hand, disappearing occasionally to takebreath at the surface.

I turned towards Captain Nemo, and in an agitated voice exclaimed:

"A man shipwrecked! He must be saved at any price!"

The Captain did not answer me, but came and leaned against the panel.

The man had approached, and, with his face flattened against theglass, was looking at us.

To my great amazement, Captain Nemo signed to him. The diver answeredwith his hand, mounted immediately to the surface of the water, and did notappear again.

"Do not be uncomfortable," said Captain Nemo. "It is Nicholas of CapeMatapan, surnamed Pesca. He is well known in all the Cyclades. A bolddiver! water is his element, and he lives more in it than on land, goingcontinually from one island to another, even as far as Crete."

"You know him, Captain?"

"Why not, M. Aronnax?"

Saying which, Captain Nemo went towards a piece of furniture standingnear the left panel of the saloon. Near this piece of furniture, I saw achest bound with iron, on ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 181

the cover of which was a copper plate, bearing the cypher of the Nautiluswith its device.

At that moment, the Captain, without noticing my presence, opened the

piece of furniture, a sort of strong box, which held a great many ingots.

They were ingots of gold. From whence came this precious metal, whichrepresented an enormous sum? Where did the Captain gather this gold from?and what was he going to do with it?

I did not say one word. I looked. Captain Nemo took the ingots one byone, and arranged them methodically in the chest, which he filled entirely.I estimated the contents at more than 4,000 lb. weight of gold, that is tosay, nearly L200,000.



The chest was securely fastened, and the Captain wrote an address onthe lid, in characters which must have belonged to Modern Greece.

This done, Captain Nemo pressed a knob, the wire of which communicatedwith the quarters of the crew. Four men appeared, and, not without sometrouble, pushed the chest out of the saloon. Then I heard them hoisting itup the iron staircase by means of pulleys.

At that moment, Captain Nemo turned to me.

"And you were saying, sir?" said he.

"I was saying nothing, Captain."

"Then, sir, if you will allow me, I will wish you good night."

Whereupon he turned and left the saloon.

I returned to my room much troubled, as one may believe. I vainlytried to sleep -- I sought the connecting link between the apparition ofthe diver and the chest filled with gold. Soon, I felt by certain movementsof pitching and tossing that the Nautilus was leaving the depths andreturning to the surface.

Then I heard steps upon the platform; and I knew they were unfasteningthe pinnace and launching it upon the waves. For one instant it struck theside of the Nautilus, then all noise ceased.

Two hours after, the same noise, the same going and coming ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 182

was renewed; the boat was hoisted on board, replaced in its socket, and theNautilus again plunged under the waves.

So these millions had been transported to their address. To what point

of the continent? Who was Captain Nemo's correspondent?

The next day I related to Conseil and the Canadian the events of thenight, which had excited my curiosity to the highest degree. My companionswere not less surprised than myself.

"But where does he take his millions to?" asked Ned Land.

To that there was no possible answer. I returned to the saloon afterhaving breakfast and set to work. Till five o'clock in the evening Iemployed myself in arranging my notes. At that moment -- (ought I toattribute it to some peculiar idiosyncrasy) -- I felt so great a heat thatI was obliged to take off my coat. It was strange, for we were under low

latitudes; and even then the Nautilus, submerged as it was, ought toexperience no change of temperature. I looked at the manometer; it showed adepth of sixty feet, to which atmospheric heat could never attain.

I continued my work, but the temperature rose to such a pitch as to beintolerable.

"Could there be fire on board?" I asked myself.

I was leaving the saloon, when Captain Nemo entered; he approached the



thermometer, consulted it, and, turning to me, said:

"Forty-two degrees."

"I have noticed it, Captain," I replied; "and if it gets much hotterwe cannot bear it."

"Oh, sir, it will not get better if we do not wish it."

"You can reduce it as you please, then?"

"No; but I can go farther from the stove which produces it."

"It is outward, then!"

"Certainly; we are floating in a current of boiling water."

"Is it possible!" I exclaimed.

"Look." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 183

The panels opened, and I saw the sea entirely white all round. A

sulphurous smoke was curling amid the waves, which boiled like water in acopper. I placed my band on one of the panes of glass, but the heat was sogreat that I quickly took it off again.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Near the Island of Santorin, sir," replied the Captain. "I wished togive you a sight of the curious spectacle of a submarine eruption."

"I thought," said I, "that the formation of these new islands wasended."

"Nothing is ever ended in the volcanic parts of the sea," replied

Captain Nemo; "and the globe is always being worked by subterranean fires.Already, in the nineteenth year of our era, according to Cassiodorus andPliny, a new island, Theia (the divine), appeared in the very place wherethese islets have recently been formed. Then they sank under the waves, torise again in the year 69, when they again subsided. Since that time to ourdays the Plutonian work has been suspended. But on the 3rd of February,1866, a new island, which they named George Island, emerged from the midstof the sulphurous vapour near Nea Kamenni, and settled again the 6th of thesame month. Seven days after, the 13th of February, the Island of Aphroessaappeared, leaving between Nea Kamenni and itself a canal ten yards broad. Iwas in these seas when the phenomenon occurred, and I was able therefore toobserve all the different phases. The Island of Aphroessa, of round form,measured 300 feet in diameter, and 30 feet in height. It was composed of

black and vitreous lava, mixed with fragments of felspar. And lastly, onthe 10th of March, a smaller island, called Reka, showed itself near NeaKamenni, and since then these three have joined together, forming but oneand the same island."

"And the canal in which we are at this moment?" I asked.

"Here it is," replied Captain Nemo, showing me a map of theArchipelago. "You see, I have marked the new islands."



I returned to the glass. The Nautilus was no longer moving, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 184

the heat was becoming unbearable. The sea, which till now had been white,was red, owing to the presence of salts of iron. In spite of the ship'sbeing hermetically sealed, an insupportable smell of sulphur filled thesaloon, and the brilliancy of the electricity was entirely extinguished bybright scarlet flames. I was in a bath, I was choking, I was broiled.

"We can remain no longer in this boiling water," said I to theCaptain.

"It would not be prudent," replied the impassive Captain Nemo.

An order was given; the Nautilus tacked about and left the furnace itcould not brave with impunity. A quarter of an hour after we were breathingfresh air on the surface. The thought then struck me that, if Ned Land hadchosen this part of the sea for our flight, we should never have come aliveout of this sea of fire.

The next day, the 16th of February, we left the basin which, betweenRhodes and Alexandria, is reckoned about 1,500 fathoms in depth, and theNautilus, passing some distance from Cerigo, quitted the Grecian

Archipelago after having doubled Cape Matapan.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.7

THE MEDITERRANEAN IN FORTY-EIGHT HOURS

THE Mediterranean, the blue sea par excellence, "the great sea" of theHebrews, "the sea" of the Greeks, the "mare nostrum" of the Romans,bordered by orange-trees, aloes, cacti, and sea-pines; embalmed with theperfume of the myrtle, surrounded by rude mountains, saturated with pureand transparent air, but incessantly worked by underground fires; a

perfect battlefield in which Neptune and Pluto still dispute the empire ofthe world!

It is upon these banks, and on these waters, says Michelet, that manis renewed in one of the most powerful climates of the globe. But,beautiful as it was, I could only take a ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 185

rapid glance at the basin whose superficial area is two million of squareyards. Even Captain Nemo's knowledge was lost to me, for this puzzlingperson did not appear once during our passage at full speed. I estimatedthe course which the Nautilus took under the waves of the sea at about six

hundred leagues, and it was accomplished in forty-eight hours. Starting onthe morning of the 16th of February from the shores of Greece, we hadcrossed the Straits of Gibraltar by sunrise on the 18th.

It was plain to me that this Mediterranean, enclosed in the midst ofthose countries which he wished to avoid, was distasteful to Captain Nemo.Those waves and those breezes brought back too many remembrances, if nottoo many regrets. Here he had no longer that independence and that libertyof gait which he had when in the open seas, and his Nautilus felt itselfcramped between the close shores of Africa and Europe.



Our speed was now twenty-five miles an hour. It may be well understoodthat Ned Land, to his great disgust, was obliged to renounce his intendedflight. He could not launch the pinnace, going at the rate of twelve orthirteen yards every second. To quit the Nautilus under such conditionswould be as bad as jumping from a train going at full speed -- an imprudentthing, to say the least of it. Besides, our vessel only mounted to thesurface of the waves at night to renew its stock of air; it was steeredentirely by the compass and the log.

I saw no more of the interior of this Mediterranean than a travellerby express train perceives of the landscape which flies before his eyes;that is to say, the distant horizon, and not the nearer objects which passlike a flash of lightning.

We were then passing between Sicily and the coast of Tunis. In thenarrow space between Cape Bon and the Straits of Messina the bottom of thesea rose almost suddenly. There was a perfect bank, on which there was notmore than nine fathoms of water, whilst on either side the depth was ninetyfathoms. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 186

The Nautilus had to manoeuvre very carefully so as not to strike

against this submarine barrier.

I showed Conseil, on the map of the Mediterranean, the spot occupiedby this reef.

"But if you please, sir," observed Conseil, "it is like a real isthmusjoining Europe to Africa."

"Yes, my boy, it forms a perfect bar to the Straits of Lybia, and thesoundings of Smith have proved that in former times the continents betweenCape Boco and Cape Furina were joined."

"I can well believe it," said Conseil.

"I will add," I continued, "that a similar barrier exists betweenGibraltar and Ceuta, which in geological times formed the entireMediterranean."

"What if some volcanic burst should one day raise these two barriersabove the waves?"

"It is not probable, Conseil."

"Well, but allow me to finish, please, sir; if this phenomenon shouldtake place, it will be troublesome for M. Lesseps, who has taken so muchpains to pierce the isthmus."

"I agree with you; but I repeat, Conseil, this phenomenon will neverhappen. The violence of subterranean force is ever diminishing. Volcanoes,so plentiful in the first days of the world, are being extinguished bydegrees; the internal heat is weakened, the temperature of the lower strataof the globe is lowered by a perceptible quantity every century to thedetriment of our globe, for its heat is its life."

"But the sun?"



"The sun is not sufficient, Conseil. Can it give heat to a dead body?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well, my friend, this earth will one day be that cold corpse; it willbecome uninhabitable and uninhabited like the moon, which has long sincelost all its vital heat."

"In how many centuries?"

"In some hundreds of thousands of years, my boy."

"Then," said Conseil, "we shall have time to finish our journey --that is, if Ned Land does not interfere with it." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 187

And Conseil, reassured, returned to the study of the bank, which theNautilus was skirting at a moderate speed.

During the night of the 16th and 17th February we had entered thesecond Mediterranean basin, the greatest depth of which was 1,450 fathoms.The Nautilus, by the action of its crew, slid down the inclined planes andburied itself in the lowest depths of the sea.

On the 18th of February, about three o'clock in the morning, we wereat the entrance of the Straits of Gibraltar. There once existed twocurrents: an upper one, long since recognised, which conveys the waters ofthe ocean into the basin of the Mediterranean; and a lower counter-current,which reasoning has now shown to exist. Indeed, the volume of water in theMediterranean, incessantly added to by the waves of the Atlantic and byrivers falling into it, would each year raise the level of this sea, forits evaporation is not sufficient to restore the equilibrium. As it is notso, we must necessarily admit the existence of an under-current, whichempties into the basin of the Atlantic through the Straits of Gibraltar thesurplus waters of the Mediterranean. A fact indeed; and it was thiscounter-current by which the Nautilus profited. It advanced rapidly by the

narrow pass. For one instant I caught a glimpse of the beautiful ruins ofthe temple of Hercules, buried in the ground, according to Pliny, and withthe low island which supports it; and a few minutes later we were floatingon the Atlantic.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.8

VIGO BAY

THE Atlantic! a vast sheet of water whose superficial area coverstwenty-five millions of square miles, the length of which is nine thousand

miles, with a mean breadth of two thousand seven hundred -- an ocean whoseparallel winding shores embrace an immense circumference, watered by thelargest rivers of the world, the St. Lawrence, the Mississippi, the Amazon,the Plata, the Orinoco, the Niger, the Senegal, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 188

the Elbe, the Loire, and the Rhine, which carry water from the mostcivilised, as well as from the most savage, countries! Magnificent field ofwater, incessantly ploughed by vessels of every nation, sheltered by the



flags of every nation, and which terminates in those two terrible points sodreaded by mariners, Cape Horn and the Cape of Tempests.

The Nautilus was piercing the water with its sharp spur, after havingaccomplished nearly ten thousand leagues in three months and a half, adistance greater than the great circle of the earth. Where were we goingnow, and what was reserved for the future? The Nautilus, leaving theStraits of Gibraltar, had gone far out. It returned to the surface of thewaves, and our daily walks on the platform were restored to us.

I mounted at once, accompanied by Ned Land and Conseil. At a distanceof about twelve miles, Cape St. Vincent was dimly to be seen, forming thesouth-western point of the Spanish peninsula. A strong southerly gale wasblowing. The sea was swollen and billowy; it made the Nautilus rockviolently. It was almost impossible to keep one's foot on the platform,which the heavy rolls of the sea beat over every instant. So we descendedafter inhaling some mouthfuls of fresh air.

I returned to my room, Conseil to his cabin; but the Canadian, with apreoccupied air, followed me. Our rapid passage across the Mediterraneanhad not allowed him to put his project into execution, and he could nothelp showing his disappointment. When the door of my room was shut, he satdown and looked at me silently.

"Friend Ned," said I, "I understand you; but you cannot reproachyourself. To have attempted to leave the Nautilus under the circumstanceswould have been folly."

Ned Land did not answer; his compressed lips and frowning brow showedwith him the violent possession this fixed idea had taken of his mind.

"Let us see," I continued; "we need not despair yet. We are going upthe coast of Portugal again; France and England are not far off, where wecan easily find refuge. Now if the Nautilus, on leaving the Straits ofGibraltar, had ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 189

gone to the south, if it had carried us towards regions where there were nocontinents, I should share your uneasiness. But we know now that CaptainNemo does not fly from civilised seas, and in some days I think you can actwith security."

Ned Land still looked at me fixedly; at length his fixed lips parted,and he said, "It is for to-night."

I drew myself up suddenly. I was, I admit, little prepared for thiscommunication. I wanted to answer the Canadian, but words would not come.

"We agreed to wait for an opportunity," continued Ned Land, "and the

opportunity has arrived. This night we shall be but a few miles from theSpanish coast. It is cloudy. The wind blows freely. I have your word, M.Aronnax, and I rely upon you."

As I was silent, the Canadian approached me.

"To-night, at nine o'clock," said he. "I have warned Conseil. At thatmoment Captain Nemo will be shut up in his room, probably in bed. Neitherthe engineers nor the ship's crew can see us. Conseil and I will gain thecentral staircase, and you, M. Aronnax, will remain in the library, two



steps from us, waiting my signal. The oars, the mast, and the sail are inthe canoe. I have even succeeded in getting some provisions. I haveprocured an English wrench, to unfasten the bolts which attach it to theshell of the Nautilus. So all is ready, till to-night."

"The sea is bad."

"That I allow," replied the Canadian; "but we must risk that. Libertyis worth paying for; besides, the boat is strong, and a few miles with afair wind to carry us is no great thing. Who knows but by to-morrow we maybe a hundred leagues away? Let circumstances only favour us, and by ten oreleven o'clock we shall have landed on some spot of terra firma, alive ordead. But adieu now till to-night."

With these words the Canadian withdrew, leaving me almost dumb. I hadimagined that, the chance gone, I should have time to reflect and discussthe matter. My obstinate companion had given me no time; and, after all,what could ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 190

I have said to him? Ned Land was perfectly right. There was almost theopportunity to profit by. Could I retract my word, and take upon myself theresponsibility of compromising the future of my companions? To-morrow

Captain Nemo might take us far from all land.

At that moment a rather loud hissing noise told me that the reservoirswere filling, and that the Nautilus was sinking under the waves of theAtlantic.

A sad day I passed, between the desire of regaining my liberty ofaction and of abandoning the wonderful Nautilus, and leaving my submarinestudies incomplete.

What dreadful hours I passed thus! Sometimes seeing myself andcompanions safely landed, sometimes wishing, in spite of my reason, thatsome unforeseen circumstance, would prevent the realisation of Ned Land's

project.

Twice I went to the saloon. I wished to consult the compass. I wishedto see if the direction the Nautilus was taking was bringing us nearer ortaking us farther from the coast. But no; the Nautilus kept in Portuguesewaters.

I must therefore take my part and prepare for flight. My luggage wasnot heavy; my notes, nothing more.

As to Captain Nemo, I asked myself what he would think of our escape;what trouble, what wrong it might cause him and what he might do in case ofits discovery or failure. Certainly I had no cause to complain of him; on

the contrary, never was hospitality freer than his. In leaving him I couldnot be taxed with ingratitude. No oath bound us to him. It was on thestrength of circumstances he relied, and not upon our word, to fix us forever.

I had not seen the Captain since our visit to the Island of Santorin.Would chance bring me to his presence before our departure? I wished it,and I feared it at the same time. I listened if I could hear him walkingthe room contiguous to mine. No sound reached my ear. I felt an unbearableuneasiness. This day of waiting seemed eternal. Hours struck too slowly to



keep pace with my impatience.

My dinner was served in my room as usual. I ate but little; I was toopreoccupied. I left the table at seven o'clock. A hundred and twentyminutes (I counted them) still separated ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 191

me from the moment in which I was to join Ned Land. My agitation redoubled.My pulse beat violently. I could not remain quiet. I went and came, hopingto calm my troubled spirit by constant movement. The idea of failure in ourbold enterprise was the least painful of my anxieties; but the thought ofseeing our project discovered before leaving the Nautilus, of being broughtbefore Captain Nemo, irritated, or (what was worse) saddened, at mydesertion, made my heart beat.

I wanted to see the saloon for the last time. I descended the stairsand arrived in the museum, where I had passed so many useful and agreeablehours. I looked at all its riches, all its treasures, like a man on the eveof an eternal exile, who was leaving never to return.

These wonders of Nature, these masterpieces of art, amongst which forso many days my life had been concentrated, I was going to abandon them forever! I should like to have taken a last look through the windows of the

saloon into the waters of the Atlantic: but the panels were hermeticallyclosed, and a cloak of steel separated me from that ocean which I had notyet explored.

In passing through the saloon, I came near the door let into the anglewhich opened into the Captain's room. To my great surprise, this door wasajar. I drew back involuntarily. If Captain Nemo should be in his room, hecould see me. But, hearing no sound, I drew nearer. The room was deserted.I pushed open the door and took some steps forward. Still the same monklikeseverity of aspect.

Suddenly the clock struck eight. The first beat of the hammer on thebell awoke me from my dreams. I trembled as if an invisible eye had plunged

into my most secret thoughts, and I hurried from the room.

There my eye fell upon the compass. Our course was still north. Thelog indicated moderate speed, the manometer a depth of about sixty feet.

I returned to my room, clothed myself warmly -- sea- boots, anotterskin cap, a great coat of byssus, lined with sealskin; I was ready, Iwas waiting. The vibration of the screw alone broke the deep silence whichreigned on board. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 192

I listened attentively. Would no loud voice suddenly inform me that Ned

Land had been surprised in his projected flight. A mortal dread hung overme, and I vainly tried to regain my accustomed coolness.

At a few minutes to nine, I put my ear to the Captain's door. Nonoise. I left my room and returned to the saloon, which was half inobscurity, but deserted.

I opened the door communicating with the library. The sameinsufficient light, the same solitude. I placed myself near the doorleading to the central staircase, and there waited for Ned Land's signal.



At that moment the trembling of the screw sensibly diminished, then itstopped entirely. The silence was now only disturbed by the beatings of myown heart. Suddenly a slight shock was felt; and I knew that the Nautilushad stopped at the bottom of the ocean. My uneasiness increased. TheCanadian's signal did not come. I felt inclined to join Ned Land and beg ofhim to put off his attempt. I felt that we were not sailing under our usualconditions.

At this moment the door of the large saloon opened, and Captain Nemoappeared. He saw me, and without further preamble began in an amiable toneof voice:

"Ah, sir! I have been looking for you. Do you know the history ofSpain?"

Now, one might know the history of one's own country by heart; but inthe condition I was at the time, with troubled mind and head quite lost, Icould not have said a word of it.

"Well," continued Captain Nemo, "you heard my question! Do you knowthe history of Spain?"

"Very slightly," I answered.

"Well, here are learned men having to learn," said the Captain. "Come,sit down, and I will tell you a curious episode in this history. Sir,listen well," said he; "this history will interest you on one side, for itwill answer a question which doubtless you have not been able to solve."

"I listen, Captain," said I, not knowing what my interlocutor wasdriving at, and asking myself if this incident was bearing on our projectedflight. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 193

"Sir, if you have no objection, we will go back to 1702. You cannot be

ignorant that your king, Louis XIV, thinking that the gesture of apotentate was sufficient to bring the Pyrenees under his yoke, had imposedthe Duke of Anjou, his grandson, on the Spaniards. This prince reigned moreor less badly under the name of Philip V, and had a strong party againsthim abroad. Indeed, the preceding year, the royal houses of Holland,Austria, and England had concluded a treaty of alliance at the Hague, withthe intention of plucking the crown of Spain from the head of Philip V, andplacing it on that of an archduke to whom they prematurely gave the titleof Charles III.

"Spain must resist this coalition; but she was almost entirelyunprovided with either soldiers or sailors. However, money would not failthem, provided that their galleons, laden with gold and silver from

America, once entered their ports. And about the end of 1702 they expecteda rich convoy which France was escorting with a fleet of twenty-threevessels, commanded by Admiral Chateau- Renaud, for the ships of thecoalition were already beating the Atlantic. This convoy was to go toCadiz, but the Admiral, hearing that an English fleet was cruising in thosewaters, resolved to make for a French port.

"The Spanish commanders of the convoy objected to this decision. Theywanted to be taken to a Spanish port, and, if not to Cadiz, into Vigo Bay,situated on the northwest coast of Spain, and which was not blocked.



"Admiral Chateau-Renaud had the rashness to obey this injunction, andthe galleons entered Vigo Bay.

"Unfortunately, it formed an open road which could not be defended inany way. They must therefore hasten to unload the galleons before thearrival of the combined fleet; and time would not have failed them had nota miserable question of rivalry suddenly arisen.

"You are following the chain of events?" asked Captain Nemo.

"Perfectly," said I, not knowing the end proposed by this historicallesson.

"I will continue. This is what passed. The merchants of ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 194

Cadiz had a privilege by which they had the right of receiving allmerchandise coming from the West Indies. Now, to disembark these ingots atthe port of Vigo was depriving them of their rights. They complained atMadrid, and obtained the consent of the weak-minded Philip that the convoy,without discharging its cargo, should remain sequestered in the roads ofVigo until the enemy had disappeared.

"But whilst coming to this decision, on the 22nd of October, 1702, theEnglish vessels arrived in Vigo Bay, when Admiral Chateau-Renaud, in spiteof inferior forces, fought bravely. But, seeing that the treasure must fallinto the enemy's hands, he burnt and scuttled every galleon, which went tothe bottom with their immense riches."

Captain Nemo stopped. I admit I could not see yet why this historyshould interest me.

"Well?" I asked.

"Well, M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo, "we are in that Vigo Bay;

and it rests with yourself whether you will penetrate its mysteries."

The Captain rose, telling me to follow him. I had had time to recover.I obeyed. The saloon was dark, but through the transparent glass the waveswere sparkling. I looked.

For half a mile around the Nautilus, the waters seemed bathed inelectric light. The sandy bottom was clean and bright. Some of the ship'screw in their diving-dresses were clearing away half-rotten barrels andempty cases from the midst of the blackened wrecks. From these cases andfrom these barrels escaped ingots of gold and silver, cascades of piastresand jewels. The sand was heaped up with them. Laden with their preciousbooty, the men returned to the Nautilus, disposed of their burden, and went

back to this inexhaustible fishery of gold and silver.

I understood now. This was the scene of the battle of the 22nd ofOctober, 1702. Here on this very spot the galleons laden for the SpanishGovernment had sunk. Here Captain Nemo came, according to his wants, topack up those millions with which he burdened the Nautilus. It was for himand him alone America had given up her precious metals. He was ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 195



heir direct, without anyone to share, in those treasures torn from theIncas and from the conquered of Ferdinand Cortez.

"Did you know, sir," he asked, smiling, "that the sea contained suchriches?"

"I knew," I answered, "that they value money held in suspension inthese waters at two millions."

"Doubtless; but to extract this money the expense would be greaterthan the profit. Here, on the contrary, I have but to pick up what man haslost -- and not only in Vigo Bay, but in a thousand other ports whereshipwrecks have happened, and which are marked on my submarine map. Can youunderstand now the source of the millions I am worth?"

"I understand, Captain. But allow me to tell you that in exploringVigo Bay you have only been beforehand with a rival society."

"And which?"

"A society which has received from the Spanish Government theprivilege of seeking those buried galleons. The shareholders are led on bythe allurement of an enormous bounty, for they value these rich shipwrecksat five hundred millions."

"Five hundred millions they were," answered Captain Nemo, "but theyare so no longer."

"Just so," said I; "and a warning to those shareholders would be anact of charity. But who knows if it would be well received? What gamblersusually regret above all is less the loss of their money than of theirfoolish hopes. After all, I pity them less than the thousands ofunfortunates to whom so much riches well-distributed would have beenprofitable, whilst for them they will be for ever barren."

I had no sooner expressed this regret than I felt that it must havewounded Captain Nemo.

"Barren!" he exclaimed, with animation. "Do you think then, sir, thatthese riches are lost because I gather them? Is it for myself alone,according to your idea, that I take the trouble to collect these treasures?Who told you that I did not make a good use of it? Do you think I amignorant that there are suffering beings and oppressed races on this ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 196

earth, miserable creatures to console, victims to avenge? Do you notunderstand?"

Captain Nemo stopped at these last words, regretting perhaps that he

had spoken so much. But I had guessed that, whatever the motive which hadforced him to seek independence under the sea, it had left him still a man,that his heart still beat for the sufferings of humanity, and that hisimmense charity was for oppressed races as well as individuals. And I thenunderstood for whom those millions were destined which were forwarded byCaptain Nemo when the Nautilus was cruising in the waters of Crete.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.9



A VANISHED CONTINENT

THE next morning, the 19th of February, I saw the Canadian enter myroom. I expected this visit. He looked very disappointed.

"Well, sir?" said he.

"Well, Ned, fortune was against us yesterday."

"Yes; that Captain must needs stop exactly at the hour we intendedleaving his vessel."

"Yes, Ned, he had business at his bankers."

"His bankers!"

"Or rather his banking-house; by that I mean the ocean, where hisriches are safer than in the chests of the State."

I then related to the Canadian the incidents of the preceding night,hoping to bring him back to the idea of not abandoning the Captain; but myrecital had no other result than an energetically expressed regret from Nedthat he had not been able to take a walk on the battlefield of Vigo on his

own account.

"However," said he, "all is not ended. It is only a blow of theharpoon lost. Another time we must succeed; and to-night, if necessary -- "

"In what direction is the Nautilus going?" I asked.

"I do not know," replied Ned. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 197

"Well, at noon we shall see the point."

The Canadian returned to Conseil. As soon as I was dressed, I wentinto the saloon. The compass was not reassuring. The course of the Nautiluswas S.S.W. We were turning our backs on Europe.

I waited with some impatience till the ship's place was pricked on thechart. At about half-past eleven the reservoirs were emptied, and ourvessel rose to the surface of the ocean. I rushed towards the platform. NedLand had preceded me. No more land in sight. Nothing but an immense sea.Some sails on the horizon, doubtless those going to San Roque in search offavourable winds for doubling the Cape of Good Hope. The weather wascloudy. A gale of wind was preparing. Ned raved, and tried to pierce thecloudy horizon. He still hoped that behind all that fog stretched the landhe so longed for.

At noon the sun showed itself for an instant. The second profited bythis brightness to take its height. Then, the sea becoming more billowy, wedescended, and the panel closed.

An hour after, upon consulting the chart, I saw the position of theNautilus was marked at 16° 17' long., and 33° 22' lat., at 150 leagues fromthe nearest coast. There was no means of flight, and I leave you to imaginethe rage of the Canadian when I informed him of our situation.



For myself, I was not particularly sorry. I felt lightened of the loadwhich had oppressed me, and was able to return with some degree of calmnessto my accustomed work.

That night, about eleven o'clock, I received a most unexpected visitfrom Captain Nemo. He asked me very graciously if I felt fatigued from mywatch of the preceding night. I answered in the negative.

"Then, M. Aronnax, I propose a curious excursion."

"Propose, Captain?"

"You have hitherto only visited the submarine depths by daylight,under the brightness of the sun. Would it suit you to see them in thedarkness of the night?"

"Most willingly."

"I warn you, the way will be tiring. We shall have far ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 198

to walk, and must climb a mountain. The roads are not well kept."

"What you say, Captain, only heightens my curiosity; I am ready tofollow you."

"Come then, sir, we will put on our diving-dresses."

Arrived at the robing-room, I saw that neither of my companions norany of the ship's crew were to follow us on this excursion. Captain Nemohad not even proposed my taking with me either Ned or Conseil.

In a few moments we had put on our diving-dresses; they placed on ourbacks the reservoirs, abundantly filled with air, but no electric lampswere prepared. I called the Captain's attention to the fact.

"They will be useless," he replied.

I thought I had not heard aright, but I could not repeat myobservation, for the Captain's head had already disappeared in its metalcase. I finished harnessing myself. I felt them put an iron-pointed stickinto my hand, and some minutes later, after going through the usual form,we set foot on the bottom of the Atlantic at a depth of 150 fathoms.Midnight was near. The waters were profoundly dark, but Captain Nemopointed out in the distance a reddish spot, a sort of large light shiningbrilliantly about two miles from the Nautilus. What this fire might be,what could feed it, why and how it lit up the liquid mass, I could not say.In any case, it did light our way, vaguely, it is true, but I soonaccustomed myself to the peculiar darkness, and I understood, under such

circumstances, the uselessness of the Ruhmkorff apparatus.

As we advanced, I heard a kind of pattering above my head. The noiseredoubling, sometimes producing a continual shower, I soon understood thecause. It was rain falling violently, and crisping the surface of thewaves. Instinctively the thought flashed across my mind that I should bewet through! By the water! in the midst of the water! I could not helplaughing at the odd idea. But, indeed, in the thick diving-dress, theliquid element is no longer felt, and one only seems to be in an atmospheresomewhat denser than the terrestrial atmosphere. Nothing more.



------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 199

After half an hour's walk the soil became stony. Medusae, microscopiccrustacea, and pennatules lit it slightly with their phosphorescent gleam.I caught a glimpse of pieces of stone covered with millions of zoophytesand masses of seaweed. My feet often slipped upon this sticky carpet ofseaweed, and without my iron-tipped stick I should have fallen more thanonce. In turning round, I could still see the whitish lantern of theNautilus beginning to pale in the distance.

But the rosy light which guided us increased and lit up the horizon.The presence of this fire under water puzzled me in the highest degree. WasI going towards a natural phenomenon as yet unknown to the savants of theearth? Or even (for this thought crossed my brain) had the hand of manaught to do with this conflagration? Had he fanned this flame? Was I tomeet in these depths companions and friends of Captain Nemo whom he wasgoing to visit, and who, like him, led this strange existence? Should Ifind down there a whole colony of exiles who, weary of the miseries of thisearth, had sought and found independence in the deep ocean? All thesefoolish and unreasonable ideas pursued me. And in this condition of mind,over-excited by the succession of wonders continually passing before myeyes, I should not have been surprised to meet at the bottom of the sea oneof those submarine towns of which Captain Nemo dreamed.

Our road grew lighter and lighter. The white glimmer came in rays fromthe summit of a mountain about 800 feet high. But what I saw was simply areflection, developed by the clearness of the waters. The source of thisinexplicable light was a fire on the opposite side of the mountain.

In the midst of this stony maze furrowing the bottom of the Atlantic,Captain Nemo advanced without hesitation. He knew this dreary road.Doubtless he had often travelled over it, and could not lose himself. Ifollowed him with unshaken confidence. He seemed to me like a genie of thesea; and, as he walked before me, I could not help admiring his stature,which was outlined in black on the luminous horizon.

It was one in the morning when we arrived at the first ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 200

slopes of the mountain; but to gain access to them we must venture throughthe difficult paths of a vast copse.

Yes; a copse of dead trees, without leaves, without sap, treespetrified by the action of the water and here and there overtopped bygigantic pines. It was like a coal-pit still standing, holding by the rootsto the broken soil, and whose branches, like fine black paper cuttings,showed distinctly on the watery ceiling. Picture to yourself a forest inthe Hartz hanging on to the sides of the mountain, but a forest swallowed

up. The paths were encumbered with seaweed and fucus, between whichgrovelled a whole world of crustacea. I went along, climbing the rocks,striding over extended trunks, breaking the sea bind-weed which hung fromone tree to the other; and frightening the fishes, which flew from branchto branch. Pressing onward, I felt no fatigue. I followed my guide, who wasnever tired. What a spectacle! How can I express it? how paint the aspectof those woods and rocks in this medium -- their under parts dark and wild,the upper coloured with red tints, by that light which the reflectingpowers of the waters doubled? We climbed rocks which fell directly afterwith gigantic bounds and the low growling of an avalanche. To right and



left ran long, dark galleries, where sight was lost. Here opened vastglades which the hand of man seemed to have worked; and I sometimes askedmyself if some inhabitant of these submarine regions would not suddenlyappear to me.

But Captain Nemo was still mounting. I could not stay behind. Ifollowed boldly. My stick gave me good help. A false step would have beendangerous on the narrow passes sloping down to the sides of the gulfs; butI walked with firm step, without feeling any giddiness. Now I jumped acrevice, the depth of which would have made me hesitate had it been amongthe glaciers on the land; now I ventured on the unsteady trunk of a treethrown across from one abyss to the other, without looking under my feet,having only eyes to admire the wild sites of this region.

There, monumental rocks, leaning on their regularly-cut bases, seemedto defy all laws of equilibrium. From between their stony knees treessprang, like a jet under heavy pressure, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 201

and upheld others which upheld them. Natural towers, large scarps, cutperpendicularly, like a "curtain," inclined at an angle which the laws ofgravitation could never have tolerated in terrestrial regions.

Two hours after quitting the Nautilus we had crossed the line oftrees, and a hundred feet above our heads rose the top of the mountain,which cast a shadow on the brilliant irradiation of the opposite slope.Some petrified shrubs ran fantastically here and there. Fishes got up underour feet like birds in the long grass. The massive rocks were rent withimpenetrable fractures, deep grottos, and unfathomable holes, at the bottomof which formidable creatures might be heard moving. My blood curdled whenI saw enormous antennae blocking my road, or some frightful claw closingwith a noise in the shadow of some cavity. Millions of luminous spots shonebrightly in the midst of the darkness. They were the eyes of giantcrustacea crouched in their holes; giant lobsters setting themselves uplike halberdiers, and moving their claws with the clicking sound ofpincers; titanic crabs, pointed like a gun on its carriage; and frightful-

looking poulps, interweaving their tentacles like a living nest ofserpents.

We had now arrived on the first platform, where other surprisesawaited me. Before us lay some picturesque ruins, which betrayed the handof man and not that of the Creator. There were vast heaps of stone, amongstwhich might be traced the vague and shadowy forms of castles and temples,clothed with a world of blossoming zoophytes, and over which, instead ofivy, sea-weed and fucus threw a thick vegetable mantle. But what was thisportion of the globe which had been swallowed by cataclysms? Who had placedthose rocks and stones like cromlechs of prehistoric times? Where was I?Whither had Captain Nemo's fancy hurried me?

I would fain have asked him; not being able to, I stopped him -- Iseized his arm. But, shaking his head, and pointing to the highest point ofthe mountain, he seemed to say:

"Come, come along; come higher!"

I followed, and in a few minutes I had climbed to the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 202



top, which for a circle of ten yards commanded the whole mass of rock.

I looked down the side we had just climbed. The mountain did not risemore than seven or eight hundred feet above the level of the plain; but onthe opposite side it commanded from twice that height the depths of thispart of the Atlantic. My eyes ranged far over a large space lit by aviolent fulguration. In fact, the mountain was a volcano.

At fifty feet above the peak, in the midst of a rain of stones andscoriae, a large crater was vomiting forth torrents of lava which fell in acascade of fire into the bosom of the liquid mass. Thus situated, thisvolcano lit the lower plain like an immense torch, even to the extremelimits of the horizon. I said that the submarine crater threw up lava, butno flames. Flames require the oxygen of the air to feed upon and cannot bedeveloped under water; but streams of lava, having in themselves theprinciples of their incandescence, can attain a white heat, fightvigorously against the liquid element, and turn it to vapour by contact.

Rapid currents bearing all these gases in diffusion and torrents oflava slid to the bottom of the mountain like an eruption of Vesuvius onanother Terra del Greco.

There indeed under my eyes, ruined, destroyed, lay a town -- its roofsopen to the sky, its temples fallen, its arches dislocated, its columns

lying on the ground, from which one would still recognise the massivecharacter of Tuscan architecture. Further on, some remains of a giganticaqueduct; here the high base of an Acropolis, with the floating outline ofa Parthenon; there traces of a quay, as if an ancient port had formerlyabutted on the borders of the ocean, and disappeared with its merchantvessels and its war-galleys. Farther on again, long lines of sunken wallsand broad, deserted streets -- a perfect Pompeii escaped beneath thewaters. Such was the sight that Captain Nemo brought before my eyes!

Where was I? Where was I? I must know at any cost. I tried to speak,but Captain Nemo stopped me by a ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 203

gesture, and, picking up a piece of chalk-stone, advanced to a rock ofblack basalt, and traced the one word:

ATLANTIS

What a light shot through my mind! Atlantis! the Atlantis of Plato,that continent denied by Origen and Humbolt, who placed its disappearanceamongst the legendary tales. I had it there now before my eyes, bearingupon it the unexceptionable testimony of its catastrophe. The region thusengulfed was beyond Europe, Asia, and Lybia, beyond the columns ofHercules, where those powerful people, the Atlantides, lived, against whomthe first wars of ancient Greeks were waged.

Thus, led by the strangest destiny, I was treading under foot themountains of this continent, touching with my hand those ruins a thousandgenerations old and contemporary with the geological epochs. I was walkingon the very spot where the contemporaries of the first man had walked.

Whilst I was trying to fix in my mind every detail of this grandlandscape, Captain Nemo remained motionless, as if petrified in muteecstasy, leaning on a mossy stone. Was he dreaming of those generationslong since disappeared? Was he asking them the secret of human destiny? Was



Much longer should I have remained at the window admiring the beautiesof sea and sky, but the panels closed. At this moment the Nautilus arrivedat the side of this high, perpendicular wall. What it would do, I could notguess. I returned to my room; it no longer moved. I laid myself down withthe full intention of waking after a few hours' sleep; but it was eighto'clock the next day when I entered the saloon. I looked at the manometer.It told me that the Nautilus was floating on the surface of the ocean.Besides, I heard steps on the platform. I went to the panel. It was open;but, instead of broad daylight, as I expected, I was surrounded by profounddarkness. Where were we? Was I mistaken? Was it still night? No; not a starwas shining and night has not that utter darkness.

I knew not what to think, when a voice near me said:

"Is that you, Professor?"

"Ah! Captain," I answered, "where are we?"

"Underground, sir."

"Underground!" I exclaimed. "And the Nautilus floating still?"

"It always floats."

"But I do not understand."

"Wait a few minutes, our lantern will be lit, and, if you like lightplaces, you will be satisfied."

I stood on the platform and waited. The darkness was so complete thatI could not even see Captain Nemo; but, looking to the zenith, exactlyabove my head, I seemed to catch an undecided gleam, a kind of twilightfilling a circular hole. At this instant the lantern was lit, and itsvividness dispelled the faint light. I closed my dazzled eyes for aninstant, and then looked again. The Nautilus was stationary, floating neara mountain which formed a sort of quay. The lake, then, supporting it was alake imprisoned by a circle of walls, measuring two miles in diameter and

six in circumference. Its level (the manometer showed) could only be thesame as the outside level, for there must necessarily be a communicationbetween the lake and the sea. The high partitions, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 206

leaning forward on their base, grew into a vaulted roof bearing the shapeof an immense funnel turned upside down, the height being about five or sixhundred yards. At the summit was a circular orifice, by which I had caughtthe slight gleam of light, evidently daylight.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"In the very heart of an extinct volcano, the interior of which hasbeen invaded by the sea, after some great convulsion of the earth. Whilstyou were sleeping, Professor, the Nautilus penetrated to this lagoon by anatural canal, which opens about ten yards beneath the surface of theocean. This is its harbour of refuge, a sure, commodious, and mysteriousone, sheltered from all gales. Show me, if you can, on the coasts of any ofyour continents or islands, a road which can give such perfect refuge fromall storms."

"Certainly," I replied, "you are in safety here, Captain Nemo. Who



could reach you in the heart of a volcano? But did I not see an opening atits summit?"

"Yes; its crater, formerly filled with lava, vapour, and flames, andwhich now gives entrance to the life-giving air we breathe."

"But what is this volcanic mountain?"

"It belongs to one of the numerous islands with which this sea isstrewn -- to vessels a simple sandbank -- to us an immense cavern. Chanceled me to discover it, and chance served me well."

"But of what use is this refuge, Captain? The Nautilus wants no port."

"No, sir; but it wants electricity to make it move, and thewherewithal to make the electricity -- sodium to feed the elements, coalfrom which to get the sodium, and a coal-mine to supply the coal. Andexactly on this spot the sea covers entire forests embedded during thegeological periods, now mineralised and transformed into coal; for me theyare an inexhaustible mine."

"Your men follow the trade of miners here, then, Captain?"

"Exactly so. These mines extend under the waves like the mines of

Newcastle. Here, in their diving-dresses, pick- ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 207

axe and shovel in hand, my men extract the coal, which I do not even askfrom the mines of the earth. When I burn this combustible for themanufacture of sodium, the smoke, escaping from the crater of the mountain,gives it the appearance of a still-active volcano."

"And we shall see your companions at work?"

"No; not this time at least; for I am in a hurry to continue oursubmarine tour of the earth. So I shall content myself with drawing from

the reserve of sodium I already possess. The time for loading is one dayonly, and we continue our voyage. So, if you wish to go over the cavern andmake the round of the lagoon, you must take advantage of to-day, M.Aronnax."

I thanked the Captain and went to look for my companions, who had notyet left their cabin. I invited them to follow me without saying where wewere. They mounted the platform. Conseil, who was astonished at nothing,seemed to look upon it as quite natural that he should wake under amountain, after having fallen asleep under the waves. But Ned Land thoughtof nothing but finding whether the cavern had any exit. After breakfast,about ten o'clock, we went down on to the mountain.

"Here we are, once more on land," said Conseil.

"I do not call this land," said the Canadian. "And besides, we are noton it, but beneath it."

Between the walls of the mountains and the waters of the lake lay asandy shore which, at its greatest breadth, measured five hundred feet. Onthis soil one might easily make the tour of the lake. But the base of thehigh partitions was stony ground, with volcanic locks and enormous pumice-stones lying in picturesque heaps. All these detached masses, covered with



enamel, polished by the action of the subterraneous fires, shoneresplendent by the light of our electric lantern. The mica dust from theshore, rising under our feet, flew like a cloud of sparks. The bottom nowrose sensibly, and we soon arrived at long circuitous slopes, or inclinedplanes, which took us higher by degrees; but we were obliged to walkcarefully among these conglomerates, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 208

bound by no cement, the feet slipping on the glassy crystal, felspar, andquartz.

The volcanic nature of this enormous excavation was confirmed on allsides, and I pointed it out to my companions.

"Picture to yourselves," said I, "what this crater must have been whenfilled with boiling lava, and when the level of the incandescent liquidrose to the orifice of the mountain, as though melted on the top of a hotplate."

"I can picture it perfectly," said Conseil. "But, sir, will you tellme why the Great Architect has suspended operations, and how it is that thefurnace is replaced by the quiet waters of the lake?"

"Most probably, Conseil, because some convulsion beneath the oceanproduced that very opening which has served as a passage for the Nautilus.Then the waters of the Atlantic rushed into the interior of the mountain.There must have been a terrible struggle between the two elements, astruggle which ended in the victory of Neptune. But many ages have run outsince then, and the submerged volcano is now a peaceable grotto."

"Very well," replied Ned Land; "I accept the explanation, sir; but, inour own interests, I regret that the opening of which you speak was notmade above the level of the sea."

"But, friend Ned," said Conseil, "if the passage had not been underthe sea, the Nautilus could not have gone through it."

We continued ascending. The steps became more and more perpendicularand narrow. Deep excavations, which we were obliged to cross, cut them hereand there; sloping masses had to be turned. We slid upon our knees andcrawled along. But Conseil's dexterity and the Canadian's strengthsurmounted all obstacles. At a height of about 31 feet the nature of theground changed without becoming more practicable. To the conglomerate andtrachyte succeeded black basalt, the first dispread in layers full ofbubbles, the latter forming regular prisms, placed like a colonnadesupporting the spring of the immense vault, an admirable specimen ofnatural architecture. Between the blocks of basalt wound long streams oflava, long since ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 209

grown cold, encrusted with bituminous rays; and in some places there werespread large carpets of sulphur. A more powerful light shone through theupper crater, shedding a vague glimmer over these volcanic depressions forever buried in the bosom of this extinguished mountain. But our upwardmarch was soon stopped at a height of about two hundred and fifty feet byimpassable obstacles. There was a complete vaulted arch overhanging us, andour ascent was changed to a circular walk. At the last change vegetablelife began to struggle with the mineral. Some shrubs, and even some trees,



the summit of the mountain, their misty remnants -- certain proof that theywere only moderately high, for the volcano did not rise more than eighthundred feet above the level of the ocean. Half an hour after theCanadian's last exploit we had regained the inner shore. Here the flora wasrepresented by large carpets of marine crystal, a little umbelliferousplant very good to pickle, which also bears the name of pierce-stone andsea-fennel. Conseil gathered some ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 211

bundles of it. As to the fauna, it might be counted by thousands ofcrustacea of all sorts, lobsters, crabs, spider-crabs, chameleon shrimps,and a large number of shells, rockfish, and limpets. Three-quarters of anhour later we had finished our circuitous walk and were on board. The crewhad just finished loading the sodium, and the Nautilus could have left thatinstant. But Captain Nemo gave no order. Did be wish to wait until night,and leave the submarine passage secretly? Perhaps so. Whatever it might be,the next day, the Nautilus, having left its port, steered clear of all landat a few yards beneath the waves of the Atlantic.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.11

THE SARGASSO SEA

THAT day the Nautilus crossed a singular part of the Atlantic Ocean.No one can be ignorant of the existence of a current of warm water known bythe name of the Gulf Stream. After leaving the Gulf of Florida, we went inthe direction of Spitzbergen. But before entering the Gulf of Mexico, about45° of N. lat., this current divides into two arms, the principal one goingtowards the coast of Ireland and Norway, whilst the second bends to thesouth about the height of the Azores; then, touching the African shore, anddescribing a lengthened oval, returns to the Antilles. This second arm --it is rather a collar than an arm -- surrounds with its circles of warmwater that portion of the cold, quiet, immovable ocean called the SargassoSea, a perfect lake in the open Atlantic: it takes no less than three years

for the great current to pass round it. Such was the region the Nautiluswas now visiting, a perfect meadow, a close carpet of seaweed, fucus, andtropical berries, so thick and so compact that the stem of a vessel couldhardly tear its way through it. And Captain Nemo, not wishing to entanglehis screw in this herbaceous mass, kept some yards beneath the surface ofthe waves. The name Sargasso comes from the Spanish word "sargazzo" whichsignifies kelp. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 212

This kelp, or berry-plant, is the principal formation of this immense bank.And this is the reason why these plants unite in the peaceful basin of theAtlantic. The only explanation which can be given, he says, seems to me to

result from the experience known to all the world. Place in a vase somefragments of cork or other floating body, and give to the water in the vasea circular movement, the scattered fragments will unite in a group in thecentre of the liquid surface, that is to say, in the part least agitated.In the phenomenon we are considering, the Atlantic is the vase, the GulfStream the circular current, and the Sargasso Sea the central point atwhich the floating bodies unite.

I share Maury's opinion, and I was able to study the phenomenon in thevery midst, where vessels rarely penetrate. Above us floated products of



all kinds, heaped up among these brownish plants; trunks of trees torn fromthe Andes or the Rocky Mountains, and floated by the Amazon or theMississippi; numerous wrecks, remains of keels, or ships' bottoms,side-planks stove in, and so weighted with shells and barnacles that theycould not again rise to the surface. And time will one day justify Maury'sother opinion, that these substances thus accumulated for ages will becomepetrified by the action of the water and will then form inexhaustiblecoal-mines -- a precious reserve prepared by far-seeing Nature for themoment when men shall have exhausted the mines of continents.

In the midst of this inextricable mass of plants and seaweed, Inoticed some charming pink halcyons and actiniae, with their long tentaclestrailing after them, and medusae, green, red, and blue.

All the day of the 22nd of February we passed in the Sargasso Sea,where such fish as are partial to marine plants find abundant nourishment.The next, the ocean had returned to its accustomed aspect. From this timefor nineteen days, from the 23rd of February to the 12th of March, theNautilus kept in the middle of the Atlantic, carrying us at a constantspeed of a hundred leagues in twenty-four hours. Captain Nemo evidentlyintended accomplishing his submarine programme, and I imagined that heintended, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 213

after doubling Cape Horn, to return to the Australian seas of the Pacific.Ned Land had cause for fear. In these large seas, void of islands, we couldnot attempt to leave the boat. Nor had we any means of opposing CaptainNemo's will. Our only course was to submit; but what we could neither gainby force nor cunning, I liked to think might be obtained by persuasion.This voyage ended, would he not consent to restore our liberty, under anoath never to reveal his existence? -- an oath of honour which we shouldhave religiously kept. But we must consider that delicate question with theCaptain. But was I free to claim this liberty? Had he not himself said fromthe beginning, in the firmest manner, that the secret of his life exactedfrom him our lasting imprisonment on board the Nautilus? And would not myfour months' silence appear to him a tacit acceptance of our situation? And

would not a return to the subject result in raising suspicions which mightbe hurtful to our projects, if at some future time a favourable opportunityoffered to return to them?

During the nineteen days mentioned above, no incident of any kindhappened to signalise our voyage. I saw little of the Captain; he was atwork. In the library I often found his books left open, especially those onnatural history. My work on submarine depths, conned over by him, wascovered with marginal notes, often contradicting my theories and systems;but the Captain contented himself with thus purging my work; it was veryrare for him to discuss it with me. Sometimes I heard the melancholy tonesof his organ; but only at night, in the midst of the deepest obscurity,when the Nautilus slept upon the deserted ocean. During this part of our

voyage we sailed whole days on the surface of the waves. The sea seemedabandoned. A few sailing-vessels, on the road to India, were making for theCape of Good Hope. One day we were followed by the boats of a whaler, who,no doubt, took us for some enormous whale of great price; but Captain Nemodid not wish the worthy fellows to lose their time and trouble, so endedthe chase by plunging under the water. Our navigation continued until the13th of March; that day the Nautilus was employed in ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 214



taking soundings, which greatly interested me. We had then made about13,000 leagues since our departure from the high seas of the Pacific. Thebearings gave us 45° 37' S. lat., and 37° 53' W. long. It was the samewater in which Captain Denham of the Herald sounded 7,000 fathoms withoutfinding the bottom. There, too, Lieutenant Parker, of the American frigateCongress, could not touch the bottom with 15,140 fathoms. Captain Nemointended seeking the bottom of the ocean by a diagonal sufficientlylengthened by means of lateral planes placed at an angle of 45° with thewater-line of the Nautilus. Then the screw set to work at its maximumspeed, its four blades beating the waves with indescribable force. Underthis powerful pressure, the hull of the Nautilus quivered like a sonorouschord and sank regularly under the water.

At 7,000 fathoms I saw some blackish tops rising from the midst of thewaters; but these summits might belong to high mountains like the Himalayasor Mont Blanc, even higher; and the depth of the abyss remainedincalculable. The Nautilus descended still lower, in spite of the greatpressure. I felt the steel plates tremble at the fastenings of the bolts;its bars bent, its partitions groaned; the windows of the saloon seemed tocurve under the pressure of the waters. And this firm structure woulddoubtless have yielded, if, as its Captain had said, it had not beencapable of resistance like a solid block. We had attained a depth of 16,000yards (four leagues), and the sides of the Nautilus then bore a pressure of1,600 atmospheres, that is to say, 3,200 lb. to each square two-fifths of

an inch of its surface.

"What a situation to be in!" I exclaimed. "To overrun these deepregions where man has never trod! Look, Captain, look at these magnificentrocks, these uninhabited grottoes, these lowest receptacles of the globe,where life is no longer possible! What unknown sights are here! Why shouldwe be unable to preserve a remembrance of them?"

"Would you like to carry away more than the remembrance?" said CaptainNemo.

"What do you mean by those words?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 215

"I mean to say that nothing is easier than to make a photographic viewof this submarine region."

I had not time to express my surprise at this new proposition, when,at Captain Nemo's call, an objective was brought into the saloon. Throughthe widely-opened panel, the liquid mass was bright with electricity, whichwas distributed with such uniformity that not a shadow, not a gradation,was to be seen in our manufactured light. The Nautilus remained motionless,the force of its screw subdued by the inclination of its planes: theinstrument was propped on the bottom of the oceanic site, and in a fewseconds we had obtained a perfect negative.

But, the operation being over, Captain Nemo said, "Let us go up; wemust not abuse our position, nor expose the Nautilus too long to such greatpressure."

"Go up again!" I exclaimed.

"Hold well on."

I had not time to understand why the Captain cautioned me thus, when I



was thrown forward on to the carpet. At a signal from the Captain, itsscrew was shipped, and its blades raised vertically; the Nautilus shot intothe air like a balloon, rising with stunning rapidity, and cutting the massof waters with a sonorous agitation. Nothing was visible; and in fourminutes it had shot through the four leagues which separated it from theocean, and, after emerging like a flying-fish, fell, making the wavesrebound to an enormous height.

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Chapter 2.12

CACHALOTS AND WHALES

DURING the nights of the 13th and 14th of March, the Nautilus returnedto its southerly course. I fancied that, when on a level with Cape Horn, hewould turn the helm westward, in order to beat the Pacific seas, and socomplete the tour of the world. He did nothing of the kind, but continuedon his way to the southern regions. Where was ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 216

he going to? To the pole? It was madness! I began to think that theCaptain's temerity justified Ned Land's fears. For some time past the

Canadian had not spoken to me of his projects of flight; he was lesscommunicative, almost silent. I could see that this lengthened imprisonmentwas weighing upon him, and I felt that rage was burning within him. When hemet the Captain, his eyes lit up with suppressed anger; and I feared thathis natural violence would lead him into some extreme. That day, the 14thof March, Conseil and he came to me in my room. I inquired the cause oftheir visit.

"A simple question to ask you, sir," replied the Canadian.

"Speak, Ned."

"How many men are there on board the Nautilus, do you think?"

"I cannot tell, my friend."

"I should say that its working does not require a large crew."

"Certainly, under existing conditions, ten men, at the most, ought tobe enough."

"Well, why should there be any more?"

"Why?" I replied, looking fixedly at Ned Land, whose meaning was easyto guess. "Because," I added, "if my surmises are correct, and if I havewell understood the Captain's existence, the Nautilus is not only a vessel:

it is also a place of refuge for those who, like its commander, have brokenevery tie upon earth."

"Perhaps so," said Conseil; "but, in any case, the Nautilus can onlycontain a certain number of men. Could not you, sir, estimate theirmaximum?"

"How, Conseil?"

"By calculation; given the size of the vessel, which you know, sir,



and consequently the quantity of air it contains, knowing also how mucheach man expends at a breath, and comparing these results with the factthat the Nautilus is obliged to go to the surface every twenty-four hours."

Conseil had not finished the sentence before I saw what he was drivingat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 217

"I understand," said I; "but that calculation, though simple enough,can give but a very uncertain result."

"Never mind," said Ned Land urgently.

"Here it is, then," said I. "In one hour each man consumes the oxygencontained in twenty gallons of air; and in twenty-four, that contained in480 gallons. We must, therefore find how many times 480 gallons of air theNautilus contains."

"Just so," said Conseil.

"Or," I continued, "the size of the Nautilus being 1,500 tons; and oneton holding 200 gallons, it contains 300,000 gallons of air, which, dividedby 480, gives a quotient of 625. Which means to say, strictly speaking,

that the air contained in the Nautilus would suffice for 625 men fortwenty-four hours."

"Six hundred and twenty-five!" repeated Ned.

"But remember that all of us, passengers, sailors, and officersincluded, would not form a tenth part of that number."

"Still too many for three men," murmured Conseil.

The Canadian shook his head, passed his hand across his forehead, andleft the room without answering.

"Will you allow me to make one observation, sir?" said Conseil. "PoorNed is longing for everything that he cannot have. His past life is alwayspresent to him; everything that we are forbidden he regrets. His head isfull of old recollections. And we must understand him. What has he to dohere? Nothing; he is not learned like you, sir; and has not the same tastefor the beauties of the sea that we have. He would risk everything to beable to go once more into a tavern in his own country."

Certainly the monotony on board must seem intolerable to the Canadian,accustomed as he was to a life of liberty and activity. Events were rarewhich could rouse him to any show of spirit; but that day an event didhappen which recalled the bright days of the harpooner. About eleven in themorning, being on the surface of the ocean, the Nautilus fell in with a

troop of whales -- an encounter which did not ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 218

astonish me, knowing that these creatures, hunted to death, had takenrefuge in high latitudes.

We were seated on the platform, with a quiet sea. The month of Octoberin those latitudes gave us some lovely autumnal days. It was the Canadian-- he could not be mistaken -- who signalled a whale on the eastern



"Yes, Captain," I replied.

"Those are cachalots -- terrible animals, which I have met in troopsof two or three hundred. As to those, they are cruel, mischievouscreatures; they would be right in exterminating them."

The Canadian turned quickly at the last words.

"Well, Captain," said he, "it is still time, in the interest of thewhales."

"It is useless to expose one's self, Professor. The Nautilus willdisperse them. It is armed with a steel spur as good as Master Land'sharpoon, I imagine."

The Canadian did not put himself out enough to shrug his shoulders.Attack cetacea with blows of a spur! Who had ever heard of such a thing? ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 221

"Wait, M. Aronnax," said Captain Nemo. "We will show you something youhave never yet seen. We have no pity for these ferocious creatures. Theyare nothing but mouth and teeth."

Mouth and teeth! No one could better describe the macrocephalouscachalot, which is sometimes more than seventy- five feet long. Itsenormous head occupies one-third of its entire body. Better armed than thewhale, whose upper jaw is furnished only with whalebone, it is suppliedwith twenty- five large tusks, about eight inches long, cylindrical andconical at the top, each weighing two pounds. It is in the upper part ofthis enormous head, in great cavities divided by cartilages, that is to befound from six to eight hundred pounds of that precious oil calledspermaceti. The cachalot is a disagreeable creature, more tadpole thanfish, according to Fredol's description. It is badly formed, the whole ofits left side being (if we may say it), a "failure," and being only able tosee with its right eye. But the formidable troop was nearing us. They hadseen the whales and were preparing to attack them. One could judge

beforehand that the cachalots would be victorious, not only because theywere better built for attack than their inoffensive adversaries, but alsobecause they could remain longer under water without coming to the surface.There was only just time to go to the help of the whales. The Nautilus wentunder water. Conseil, Ned Land, and I took our places before the window inthe saloon, and Captain Nemo joined the pilot in his cage to work hisapparatus as an engine of destruction. Soon I felt the beatings of thescrew quicken, and our speed increased. The battle between the cachalotsand the whales had already begun when the Nautilus arrived. They did not atfirst show any fear at the sight of this new monster joining in theconflict. But they soon had to guard against its blows. What a battle! TheNautilus was nothing but a formidable harpoon, brandished by the hand ofits Captain. It hurled itself against the fleshy mass, passing through from

one part to the other, leaving behind it two quivering halves of theanimal. It could not feel the formidable blows from their tails upon itssides, nor the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 222

shock which it produced itself, much more. One cachalot killed, it ran atthe next, tacked on the spot that it might not miss its prey, goingforwards and backwards, answering to its helm, plunging when the cetaceandived into the deep waters, coming up with it when it returned to the



surface, striking it front or sideways, cutting or tearing in alldirections and at any pace, piercing it with its terrible spur. Whatcarnage! What a noise on the surface of the waves! What sharp hissing, andwhat snorting peculiar to these enraged animals! In the midst of thesewaters, generally so peaceful, their tails made perfect billows. For onehour this wholesale massacre continued, from which the cachalots could notescape. Several times ten or twelve united tried to crush the Nautilus bytheir weight. From the window we could see their enormous mouths, studdedwith tusks, and their formidable eyes. Ned Land could not contain himself;he threatened and swore at them. We could feel them clinging to our vessellike dogs worrying a wild boar in a copse. But the Nautilus, working itsscrew, carried them here and there, or to the upper levels of the ocean,without caring for their enormous weight, nor the powerful strain on thevessel. At length the mass of cachalots broke up, the waves became quiet,and I felt that we were rising to the surface. The panel opened, and wehurried on to the platform. The sea was covered with mutilated bodies. Aformidable explosion could not have divided and torn this fleshy mass withmore violence. We were floating amid gigantic bodies, bluish on the backand white underneath, covered with enormous protuberances. Some terrifiedcachalots were flying towards the horizon. The waves were dyed red forseveral miles, and the Nautilus floated in a sea of blood: Captain Nemojoined us.

"Well, Master Land?" said he.

"Well, sir," replied the Canadian, whose enthusiasm had somewhatcalmed; "it is a terrible spectacle, certainly. But I am not a butcher. Iam a hunter, and I call this a butchery."

"It is a massacre of mischievous creatures," replied the Captain; "andthe Nautilus is not a butcher's knife." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 223

"I like my harpoon better," said the Canadian.

"Every one to his own," answered the Captain, looking fixedly at Ned

Land.

I feared he would commit some act of violence, which would end in sadconsequences. But his anger was turned by the sight of a whale which theNautilus had just come up with. The creature had not quite escaped from thecachalot's teeth. I recognised the southern whale by its flat head, whichis entirely black. Anatomically, it is distinguished from the white whaleand the North Cape whale by the seven cervical vertebrae, and it has twomore ribs than its congeners. The unfortunate cetacean was lying on itsside, riddled with holes from the bites, and quite dead. From its mutilatedfin still hung a young whale which it could not save from the massacre. Itsopen mouth let the water flow in and out, murmuring like the waves breakingon the shore. Captain Nemo steered close to the corpse of the creature. Two

of his men mounted its side, and I saw, not without surprise, that theywere drawing from its breasts all the milk which they contained, that is tosay, about two or three tons. The Captain offered me a cup of the milk,which was still warm. I could not help showing my repugnance to the drink;but he assured me that it was excellent, and not to be distinguished fromcow's milk. I tasted it, and was of his opinion. It was a useful reserve tous, for in the shape of salt butter or cheese it would form an agreeablevariety from our ordinary food. From that day I noticed with uneasinessthat Ned Land's ill-will towards Captain Nemo increased, and I resolved towatch the Canadian's gestures closely.



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Chapter 2.13

THE ICEBERG

THE Nautilus was steadily pursuing its southerly course, following thefiftieth meridian with considerable speed. Did he wish to reach the pole? Idid not think so, for every ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 224

attempt to reach that point had hitherto failed. Again, the season was faradvanced, for in the Antarctic regions the 13th of March corresponds withthe 13th of September of northern regions, which begin at the equinoctialseason. On the 14th of March I saw floating ice in latitude 55°, merelypale bits of debris from twenty to twenty-five feet long, forming banksover which the sea curled. The Nautilus remained on the surface of theocean. Ned Land, who had fished in the Arctic Seas, was familiar with itsicebergs; but Conseil and I admired them for the first time. In theatmosphere towards the southern horizon stretched a white dazzling band.English whalers have given it the name of "ice blink." However thick theclouds may be, it is always visible, and announces the presence of an ice

pack or bank. Accordingly, larger blocks soon appeared, whose brilliancychanged with the caprices of the fog. Some of these masses showed greenveins, as if long undulating lines had been traced with sulphate of copper;others resembled enormous amethysts with the light shining through them.Some reflected the light of day upon a thousand crystal facets. Othersshaded with vivid calcareous reflections resembled a perfect town ofmarble. The more we neared the south the more these floating islandsincreased both in number and importance.

At 60° lat. every pass had disappeared. But, seeking carefully,Captain Nemo soon found a narrow opening, through which he boldly slipped,knowing, however, that it would close behind him. Thus, guided by thisclever hand, the Nautilus passed through all the ice with a precision which

quite charmed Conseil; icebergs or mountains, ice- fields or smooth plains,seeming to have no limits, drift-ice or floating ice-packs, plains brokenup, called palchs when they are circular, and streams when they are made upof long strips. The temperature was very low; the thermometer exposed tothe air marked 2° or 3° below zero, but we were warmly clad with fur, atthe expense of the sea-bear and seal. The interior of the Nautilus, warmedregularly by its electric apparatus, defied the most intense cold. Besides,it would only have been necessary to go some ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 225

yards beneath the waves to find a more bearable temperature. Two monthsearlier we should have had perpetual daylight in these latitudes; but

already we had had three or four hours of night, and by and by there wouldbe six months of darkness in these circumpolar regions. On the 15th ofMarch we were in the latitude of New Shetland and South Orkney. The Captaintold me that formerly numerous tribes of seals inhabited them; but thatEnglish and American whalers, in their rage for destruction, massacred bothold and young; thus, where there was once life and animation, they had leftsilence and death.

About eight o'clock on the morning of the 16th of March the Nautilus,following the fifty-fifth meridian, cut the Antarctic polar circle. Ice



surrounded us on all sides, and closed the horizon. But Captain Nemo wentfrom one opening to another, still going higher. I cannot express myastonishment at the beauties of these new regions. The ice took mostsurprising forms. Here the grouping formed an oriental town, withinnumerable mosques and minarets; there a fallen city thrown to the earth,as it were, by some convulsion of nature. The whole aspect was constantlychanged by the oblique rays of the sun, or lost in the greyish fog amidsthurricanes of snow. Detonations and falls were heard on all sides, greatoverthrows of icebergs, which altered the whole landscape like a diorama.Often seeing no exit, I thought we were definitely prisoners; but, instinctguiding him at the slightest indication, Captain Nemo would discover a newpass. He was never mistaken when he saw the thin threads of bluish watertrickling along the ice- fields; and I had no doubt that he had alreadyventured into the midst of these Antarctic seas before. On the 16th ofMarch, however, the ice-fields absolutely blocked our road. It was not theiceberg itself, as yet, but vast fields cemented by the cold. But thisobstacle could not stop Captain Nemo: be hurled himself against it withfrightful violence. The Nautilus entered the brittle mass like a wedge, andsplit it with frightful crackings. It was the battering ram of the ancientshurled by infinite strength. The ice, thrown high in the air, fell likehail around us. By its own power of ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 226

impulsion our apparatus made a canal for itself; sometimes carried away byits own impetus, it lodged on the ice-field, crushing it with its weight,and sometimes buried beneath it, dividing it by a simple pitching movement,producing large rents in it. Violent gales assailed us at this time,accompanied by thick fogs, through which, from one end of the platform tothe other, we could see nothing. The wind blew sharply from all parts ofthe compass, and the snow lay in such hard heaps that we had to break itwith blows of a pickaxe. The temperature was always at 5° below zero; everyoutward part of the Nautilus was covered with ice. A rigged vessel wouldhave been entangled in the blocked up gorges. A vessel without sails, withelectricity for its motive power, and wanting no coal, could alone bravesuch high latitudes. At length, on the 18th of March, after many uselessassaults, the Nautilus was positively blocked. It was no longer either

streams, packs, or ice-fields, but an interminable and immovable barrier,formed by mountains soldered together.

"An iceberg!" said the Canadian to me.

I knew that to Ned Land, as well as to all other navigators who hadpreceded us, this was an inevitable obstacle. The sun appearing for aninstant at noon, Captain Nemo took an observation as near as possible,which gave our situation at 51° 30' long. and 67° 39' of S. lat. We hadadvanced one degree more in this Antarctic region. Of the liquid surface ofthe sea there was no longer a glimpse. Under the spur of the Nautilus laystretched a vast plain, entangled with confused blocks. Here and theresharp points and slender needles rising to a height of 200 feet; further on

a steep shore, hewn as it were with an axe and clothed with greyish tints;huge mirrors, reflecting a few rays of sunshine, half drowned in the fog.And over this desolate face of nature a stern silence reigned, scarcelybroken by the flapping of the wings of petrels and puffins. Everything wasfrozen -- even the noise. The Nautilus was then obliged to stop in itsadventurous course amid these fields of ice. In spite of our efforts, inspite of the powerful means employed to break up the ice, the Nautilusremained immovable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 227



"Under it!" I exclaimed, a sudden idea of the Captain's projectsflashing upon my mind. I understood; the wonderful qualities of theNautilus were going to serve us in this superhuman enterprise.

"I see we are beginning to understand one another, sir," said theCaptain, half smiling. "You begin to see the possibility -- I should saythe success -- of this attempt. That which is impossible for an ordinaryvessel is easy to the Nautilus. If a continent lies before the pole, itmust stop before the continent; but if, on the contrary, the pole is washedby open sea, it will go even to the pole."

"Certainly," said I, carried away by the Captain's reasoning; "if thesurface of the sea is solidified by the ice, the lower depths are free bythe Providential law which has placed the maximum of density of the watersof the ocean one degree higher than freezing-point; and, if I am notmistaken, the portion of this iceberg which is above the water is as one tofour to that which is below."

"Very nearly, sir; for one foot of iceberg above the sea there arethree below it. If these ice mountains are not more than 300 feet above thesurface, they are not more than 900 beneath. And what are 900 feet to theNautilus?"

"Nothing, sir."

"It could even seek at greater depths that uniform temperature ofsea-water, and there brave with impunity the thirty or forty degrees ofsurface cold."

"Just so, sir -- just so," I replied, getting animated.

"The only difficulty," continued Captain Nemo, "is that of remainingseveral days without renewing our provision of air." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 229

"Is that all? The Nautilus has vast reservoirs; we can fill them, and

they will supply us with all the oxygen we want."

"Well thought of, M. Aronnax," replied the Captain, smiling. "But, notwishing you to accuse me of rashness, I will first give you all myobjections."

"Have you any more to make?"

"Only one. It is possible, if the sea exists at the South Pole, thatit may be covered; and, consequently, we shall be unable to come to thesurface."

"Good, sir! but do you forget that the Nautilus is armed with a

powerful spur, and could we not send it diagonally against these fields ofice, which would open at the shocks."

"Ah! sir, you are full of ideas to-day."

"Besides, Captain," I added, enthusiastically, "why should we not findthe sea open at the South Pole as well as at the North? The frozen poles ofthe earth do not coincide, either in the southern or in the northernregions; and, until it is proved to the contrary, we may suppose either acontinent or an ocean free from ice at these two points of the globe."



"I think so too, M. Aronnax," replied Captain Nemo. "I only wish youto observe that, after having made so many objections to my project, youare now crushing me with arguments in its favour!"

The preparations for this audacious attempt now began. The powerfulpumps of the Nautilus were working air into the reservoirs and storing itat high pressure. About four o'clock, Captain Nemo announced the closing ofthe panels on the platform. I threw one last look at the massive icebergwhich we were going to cross. The weather was clear, the atmosphere pureenough, the cold very great, being 12° below zero; but, the wind havinggone down, this temperature was not so unbearable. About ten men mountedthe sides of the Nautilus, armed with pickaxes to break the ice around thevessel, which was soon free. The operation was quickly performed, for thefresh ice was still very thin. We all went below. The usual reservoirs werefilled with the newly-liberated water, and the Nautilus soon descended. Ihad taken my place with Conseil in the saloon; through the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 230

open window we could see the lower beds of the Southern Ocean. Thethermometer went up, the needle of the compass deviated on the dial. Atabout 900 feet, as Captain Nemo had foreseen, we were floating beneath theundulating bottom of the iceberg. But the Nautilus went lower still -- it

went to the depth of four hundred fathoms. The temperature of the water atthe surface showed twelve degrees, it was now only ten; we had gained two.I need not say the temperature of the Nautilus was raised by its heatingapparatus to a much higher degree; every manoeuvre was accomplished withwonderful precision.

"We shall pass it, if you please, sir," said Conseil.

"I believe we shall," I said, in a tone of firm conviction.

In this open sea, the Nautilus had taken its course direct to thepole, without leaving the fifty-second meridian. From 67° 30' to 90°,twenty-two degrees and a half of latitude remained to travel; that is,

about five hundred leagues. The Nautilus kept up a mean speed of twenty-sixmiles an hour -- the speed of an express train. If that was kept up, inforty hours we should reach the pole.

For a part of the night the novelty of the situation kept us at thewindow. The sea was lit with the electric lantern; but it was deserted;fishes did not sojourn in these imprisoned waters; they only found there apassage to take them from the Antarctic Ocean to the open polar sea. Ourpace was rapid; we could feel it by the quivering of the long steel body.About two in the morning I took some hours' repose, and Conseil did thesame. In crossing the waist I did not meet Captain Nemo: I supposed him tobe in the pilot's cage. The next morning, the 19th of March, I took my postonce more in the saloon. The electric log told me that the speed of the

Nautilus had been slackened. It was then going towards the surface; butprudently emptying its reservoirs very slowly. My heart beat fast. Were wegoing to emerge and regain the open polar atmosphere? No! A shock told methat the Nautilus had struck the bottom of the iceberg, still very thick,judging from the deadened sound. We had indeed "struck," to use a seaexpression, but in an inverse sense, and at a thousand feet deep. Thiswould give three ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 231



thousand feet of ice above us; one thousand being above the water-mark. Theiceberg was then higher than at its borders -- not a very reassuring fact.Several times that day the Nautilus tried again, and every time it struckthe wall which lay like a ceiling above it. Sometimes it met with but 900yards, only 200 of which rose above the surface. It was twice the height itwas when the Nautilus had gone under the waves. I carefully noted thedifferent depths, and thus obtained a submarine profile of the chain as itwas developed under the water. That night no change had taken place in oursituation. Still ice between four and five hundred yards in depth! It wasevidently diminishing, but, still, what a thickness between us and thesurface of the ocean! It was then eight. According to the daily custom onboard the Nautilus, its air should have been renewed four hours ago; but Idid not suffer much, although Captain Nemo had not yet made any demand uponhis reserve of oxygen. My sleep was painful that night; hope and fearbesieged me by turns: I rose several times. The groping of the Nautiluscontinued. About three in the morning, I noticed that the lower surface ofthe iceberg was only about fifty feet deep. One hundred and fifty feet nowseparated us from the surface of the waters. The iceberg was by degreesbecoming an ice-field, the mountain a plain. My eyes never left themanometer. We were still rising diagonally to the surface, which sparkledunder the electric rays. The iceberg was stretching both above and beneathinto lengthening slopes; mile after mile it was getting thinner. At length,at six in the morning of that memorable day, the 19th of March, the door ofthe saloon opened, and Captain Nemo appeared.

"The sea is open!!" was all he said.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.14

THE SOUTH POLE

I RUSHED on to the platform. Yes! the open sea, with but a fewscattered pieces of ice and moving icebergs -- a long ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 232

stretch of sea; a world of birds in the air, and myriads of fishes underthose waters, which varied from intense blue to olive green, according tothe bottom. The thermometer marked 3° C. above zero. It was comparativelyspring, shut up as we were behind this iceberg, whose lengthened mass wasdimly seen on our northern horizon.

"Are we at the pole?" I asked the Captain, with a beating heart.

"I do not know," he replied. "At noon I will take our bearings."

"But will the sun show himself through this fog?" said I, looking atthe leaden sky.

"However little it shows, it will be enough," replied the Captain.

About ten miles south a solitary island rose to a height of onehundred and four yards. We made for it, but carefully, for the sea might bestrewn with banks. One hour afterwards we had reached it, two hours laterwe had made the round of it. It measured four or five miles incircumference. A narrow canal separated it from a considerable stretch ofland, perhaps a continent, for we could not see its limits. The existenceof this land seemed to give some colour to Maury's theory. The ingenious



American has remarked that, between the South Pole and the sixtiethparallel, the sea is covered with floating ice of enormous size, which isnever met with in the North Atlantic. From this fact he has drawn theconclusion that the Antarctic Circle encloses considerable continents, asicebergs cannot form in open sea, but only on the coasts. According tothese calculations, the mass of ice surrounding the southern pole forms avast cap, the circumference. of which must be, at least, 2,500 miles. Butthe Nautilus, for fear of running aground, had stopped about threecable-lengths from a strand over which reared a superb heap of rocks. Theboat was launched; the Captain, two of his men, bearing instruments,Conseil, and myself were in it. It was ten in the morning. I had not seenNed Land. Doubtless the Canadian did not wish to admit the presence of theSouth Pole. A few strokes of the oar ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 233

brought us to the sand, where we ran ashore. Conseil was going to jump onto the land, when I held him back.

"Sir," said I to Captain Nemo, "to you belongs the honour of firstsetting foot on this land."

"Yes, sir," said the Captain, "and if I do not hesitate to tread thisSouth Pole, it is because, up to this time, no human being has left a trace

there."

Saying this, he jumped lightly on to the sand. His heart beat withemotion. He climbed a rock, sloping to a little promontory, and there, withhis arms crossed, mute and motionless, and with an eager look, he seemed totake possession of these southern regions. After five minutes passed inthis ecstasy, he turned to us.

"When you like, sir."

I landed, followed by Conseil, leaving the two men in the boat. For along way the soil was composed of a reddish sandy stone, something likecrushed brick, scoriae, streams of lava, and pumice-stones. One could not

mistake its volcanic origin. In some parts, slight curls of smoke emitted asulphurous smell, proving that the internal fires had lost nothing of theirexpansive powers, though, having climbed a high acclivity, I could see novolcano for a radius of several miles. We know that in those Antarcticcountries, James Ross found two craters, the Erebus and Terror, in fullactivity, on the 167th meridian, latitude 77° 32'. The vegetation of thisdesolate continent seemed to me much restricted. Some lichens lay upon theblack rocks; some microscopic plants, rudimentary diatomas, a kind of cellsplaced between two quartz shells; long purple and scarlet weed, supportedon little swimming bladders, which the breaking of the waves brought to theshore. These constituted the meagre flora of this region. The shore wasstrewn with molluscs, little mussels, and limpets. I also saw myriads ofnorthern clios, one-and-a-quarter inches long, of which a whale would

swallow a whole world at a mouthful; and some perfect sea-butterflies,animating the waters on the skirts of the shore.

There appeared on the high bottoms some coral shrubs, of the kindwhich, according to James Ross, live in the Antarctic ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 234

seas to the depth of more than 1,000 yards. Then there were littlekingfishers and starfish studding the soil. But where life abounded most



was in the air. There thousands of birds fluttered and flew of all kinds,deafening us with their cries; others crowded the rock, looking at us as wepassed by without fear, and pressing familiarly close by our feet. Therewere penguins, so agile in the water, heavy and awkward as they are on theground; they were uttering harsh cries, a large assembly, sober in gesture,but extravagant in clamour. Albatrosses passed in the air, the expanse oftheir wings being at least four yards and a half, and justly called thevultures of the ocean; some gigantic petrels, and some damiers, a kind ofsmall duck, the underpart of whose body is black and white; then there werea whole series of petrels, some whitish, with brown-bordered wings, othersblue, peculiar to the Antarctic seas, and so oily, as I told Conseil, thatthe inhabitants of the Ferroe Islands had nothing to do before lightingthem but to put a wick in.

"A little more," said Conseil, "and they would be perfect lamps! Afterthat, we cannot expect Nature to have previously furnished them withwicks!"

About half a mile farther on the soil was riddled with ruffs' nests, asort of laying-ground, out of which many birds were issuing. Captain Nemohad some hundreds hunted. They uttered a cry like the braying of an ass,were about the size of a goose, slate-colour on the body, white beneath,with a yellow line round their throats; they allowed themselves to bekilled with a stone, never trying to escape. But the fog did not lift, and

at eleven the sun had not yet shown itself. Its absence made me uneasy.Without it no observations were possible. How, then, could we decidewhether we had reached the pole? When I rejoined Captain Nemo, I found himleaning on a piece of rock, silently watching the sky. He seemed impatientand vexed. But what was to be done? This rash and powerful man could notcommand the sun as he did the sea. Noon arrived without the orb of dayshowing itself for an instant. We could not even tell its position behindthe curtain of fog; and soon the fog turned to snow. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 235

"Till to-morrow," said the Captain, quietly, and we returned to theNautilus amid these atmospheric disturbances.

The tempest of snow continued till the next day. It was impossible toremain on the platform. From the saloon, where I was taking notes ofincidents happening during this excursion to the polar continent, I couldhear the cries of petrels and albatrosses sporting in the midst of thisviolent storm. The Nautilus did not remain motionless, but skirted thecoast, advancing ten miles more to the south in the half-light left by thesun as it skirted the edge of the horizon. The next day, the 20th of March,the snow had ceased. The cold was a little greater, the thermometer showing2° below zero. The fog was rising, and I hoped that that day ourobservations might be taken. Captain Nemo not having yet appeared, the boattook Conseil and myself to land. The soil was still of the same volcanicnature; everywhere were traces of lava, scoriae, and basalt; but the crater

which had vomited them I could not see. Here, as lower down, this continentwas alive with myriads of birds. But their rule was now divided with largetroops of sea- mammals, looking at us with their soft eyes. There wereseveral kinds of seals, some stretched on the earth, some on flakes of ice,many going in and out of the sea. They did not flee at our approach, neverhaving had anything to do with man; and I reckoned that there wereprovisions there for hundreds of vessels.

"Sir," said Conseil, "will you tell me the names of these creatures?"



"They are seals and morses."

It was now eight in the morning. Four hours remained to us before thesun could be observed with advantage. I directed our steps towards a vastbay cut in the steep granite shore. There, I can aver that earth and icewere lost to sight by the numbers of sea-mammals covering them, and Iinvoluntarily sought for old Proteus, the mythological shepherd who watchedthese immense flocks of Neptune. There were more seals than anything else,forming distinct groups, male and female, the father watching over hisfamily, the mother suckling her little ones, some already strong ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 236

enough to go a few steps. When they wished to change their place, they tooklittle jumps, made by the contraction of their bodies, and helped awkwardlyenough by their imperfect fin, which, as with the lamantin, their cousins,forms a perfect forearm. I should say that, in the water, which is theirelement -- the spine of these creatures is flexible; with smooth and closeskin and webbed feet -- they swim admirably. In resting on the earth theytake the most graceful attitudes. Thus the ancients, observing their softand expressive looks, which cannot be surpassed by the most beautiful looka woman can give, their clear voluptuous eyes, their charming positions,and the poetry of their manners, metamorphosed them, the male into a tritonand the female into a mermaid. I made Conseil notice the considerable

development of the lobes of the brain in these interesting cetaceans. Nomammal, except man, has such a quantity of brain matter; they are alsocapable of receiving a certain amount of education, are easilydomesticated, and I think, with other naturalists, that if properly taughtthey would be of great service as fishing-dogs. The greater part of themslept on the rocks or on the sand. Amongst these seals, properly so called,which have no external ears (in which they differ from the otter, whoseears are prominent), I noticed several varieties of seals about three yardslong, with a white coat, bulldog heads, armed with teeth in both jaws, fourincisors at the top and four at the bottom, and two large canine teeth inthe shape of a fleur-de-lis. Amongst them glided sea-elephants, a kind ofseal, with short, flexible trunks. The giants of this species measuredtwenty feet round and ten yards and a half in length; but they did not move

as we approached.

"These creatures are not dangerous?" asked Conseil.

"No; not unless you attack them. When they have to defend their youngtheir rage is terrible, and it is not uncommon for them to break thefishing-boats to pieces."

"They are quite right," said Conseil.

"I do not say they are not."

Two miles farther on we were stopped by the promontory which shelters

the bay from the southerly winds. Beyond it ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 237

we heard loud bellowings such as a troop of ruminants would produce.

"Good!" said Conseil; "a concert of bulls!"

"No; a concert of morses."



"They are fighting!"

"They are either fighting or playing."

We now began to climb the blackish rocks, amid unforeseen stumbles,and over stones which the ice made slippery. More than once I rolled overat the expense of my loins. Conseil, more prudent or more steady, did notstumble, and helped me up, saying:

"If, sir, you would have the kindness to take wider steps, you wouldpreserve your equilibrium better."

Arrived at the upper ridge of the promontory, I saw a vast white plaincovered with morses. They were playing amongst themselves, and what weheard were bellowings of pleasure, not of anger.

As I passed these curious animals I could examine them leisurely, forthey did not move. Their skins were thick and rugged, of a yellowish tint,approaching to red; their hair was short and scant. Some of them were fouryards and a quarter long. Quieter and less timid than their cousins of thenorth, they did not, like them, place sentinels round the outskirts oftheir encampment. After examining this city of morses, I began to think ofreturning. It was eleven o'clock, and, if Captain Nemo found the conditionsfavourable for observations, I wished to be present at the operation. We

followed a narrow pathway running along the summit of the steep shore. Athalf-past eleven we had reached the place where we landed. The boat had runaground, bringing the Captain. I saw him standing on a block of basalt, hisinstruments near him, his eyes fixed on the northern horizon, near whichthe sun was then describing a lengthened curve. I took my place beside him,and waited without speaking. Noon arrived, and, as before, the sun did notappear. It was a fatality. Observations were still wanting. If notaccomplished to-morrow, we must give up all idea of taking any. We wereindeed exactly at the 20th of March. To-morrow, the 21st, would be theequinox; the sun would ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 238

disappear behind the horizon for six months, and with its disappearance thelong polar night would begin. Since the September equinox it had emergedfrom the northern horizon, rising by lengthened spirals up to the 21st ofDecember. At this period, the summer solstice of the northern regions, ithad begun to descend; and to-morrow was to shed its last rays upon them. Icommunicated my fears and observations to Captain Nemo.

"You are right, M. Aronnax," said he; "if to-morrow I cannot take thealtitude of the sun, I shall not be able to do it for six months. Butprecisely because chance has led me into these seas on the 21st of March,my bearings will be easy to take, if at twelve we can see the sun."

"Why, Captain?"

"Because then the orb of day described such lengthened curves that itis difficult to measure exactly its height above the horizon, and graveerrors may be made with instruments."

"What will you do then?"

"I shall only use my chronometer," replied Captain Nemo. "Ifto-morrow, the 21st of March, the disc of the sun, allowing for refraction,is exactly cut by the northern horizon, it will show that I am at the South



Pole."

"Just so," said I. "But this statement is not mathematically correct,because the equinox does not necessarily begin at noon."

"Very likely, sir; but the error will not be a hundred yards and we donot want more. Till to-morrow, then!"

Captain Nemo returned on board. Conseil and I remained to survey theshore, observing and studying until five o'clock. Then I went to bed, not,however, without invoking, like the Indian, the favour of the radiant orb.The next day, the 21st of March, at five in the morning, I mounted theplatform. I found Captain Nemo there.

"The weather is lightening a little," said he. "I have some hope.After breakfast we will go on shore and choose a post for observation."

That point settled, I sought Ned Land. I wanted to take him with me.But the obstinate Canadian refused, and I ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 239

saw that his taciturnity and his bad humour grew day by day. After all, Iwas not sorry for his obstinacy under the circumstances. Indeed, there were

too many seals on shore, and we ought not to lay such temptation in thisunreflecting fisherman's way. Breakfast over, we went on shore. TheNautilus had gone some miles further up in the night. It was a whole leaguefrom the coast, above which reared a sharp peak about five hundred yardshigh. The boat took with me Captain Nemo, two men of the crew, and theinstruments, which consisted of a chronometer, a telescope, and abarometer. While crossing, I saw numerous whales belonging to the threekinds peculiar to the southern seas; the whale, or the English "rightwhale," which has no dorsal fin; the "humpback," with reeved chest andlarge, whitish fins, which, in spite of its name, do not form wings; andthe fin-back, of a yellowish brown, the liveliest of all the cetacea. Thispowerful creature is heard a long way off when he throws to a great heightcolumns of air and vapour, which look like whirlwinds of smoke. These

different mammals were disporting themselves in troops in the quiet waters;and I could see that this basin of the Antarctic Pole serves as a place ofrefuge to the cetacea too closely tracked by the hunters. I also noticedlarge medusae floating between the reeds.

At nine we landed; the sky was brightening, the clouds were flying tothe south, and the fog seemed to be leaving the cold surface of the waters.Captain Nemo went towards the peak, which he doubtless meant to be hisobservatory. It was a painful ascent over the sharp lava and the pumice-stones, in an atmosphere often impregnated with a sulphurous smell from thesmoking cracks. For a man unaccustomed to walk on land, the Captain climbedthe steep slopes with an agility I never saw equalled and which a hunterwould have envied. We were two hours getting to the summit of this peak,

which was half porphyry and half basalt. From thence we looked upon a vastsea which, towards the north, distinctly traced its boundary line upon thesky. At our feet lay fields of dazzling whiteness. Over our heads a paleazure, free from fog. To the north the disc of the sun ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 240

seemed like a ball of fire, already horned by the cutting of the horizon.From the bosom of the water rose sheaves of liquid jets by hundreds. In thedistance lay the Nautilus like a cetacean asleep on the water. Behind us,



to the south and east, an immense country and a chaotic heap of rocks andice, the limits of which were not visible. On arriving at the summitCaptain Nemo carefully took the mean height of the barometer, for he wouldhave to consider that in taking his observations. At a quarter to twelvethe sun, then seen only by refraction, looked like a golden disc sheddingits last rays upon this deserted continent and seas which never man had yetploughed. Captain Nemo, furnished with a lenticular glass which, by meansof a mirror, corrected the refraction, watched the orb sinking below thehorizon by degrees, following a lengthened diagonal. I held thechronometer. My heart beat fast. If the disappearance of the half-disc ofthe sun coincided with twelve o'clock on the chronometer, we were at thepole itself.

"Twelve!" I exclaimed.

"The South Pole!" replied Captain Nemo, in a grave voice, handing methe glass, which showed the orb cut in exactly equal parts by the horizon.

I looked at the last rays crowning the peak, and the shadows mountingby degrees up its slopes. At that moment Captain Nemo, resting with hishand on my shoulder, said:

"I, Captain Nemo, on this 21st day of March, 1868, have reached theSouth Pole on the ninetieth degree; and I take possession of this part of

the globe, equal to one-sixth of the known continents."

"In whose name, Captain?"

"In my own, sir!"

Saying which, Captain Nemo unfurled a black banner, bearing an "N" ingold quartered on its bunting. Then, turning towards the orb of day, whoselast rays lapped the horizon of the sea, he exclaimed:

"Adieu, sun! Disappear, thou radiant orb! rest beneath this open sea,and let a night of six months spread its shadows over my new domains!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 241

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.15

ACCIDENT OR INCIDENT?

THE next day, the 22nd of March, at six in the morning, preparationsfor departure were begun. The last gleams of twilight were melting intonight. The cold was great, the constellations shone with wonderfulintensity. In the zenith glittered that wondrous Southern Cross -- the

polar bear of Antarctic regions. The thermometer showed 120 below zero, andwhen the wind freshened it was most biting. Flakes of ice increased on theopen water. The sea seemed everywhere alike. Numerous blackish patchesspread on the surface, showing the formation of fresh ice. Evidently thesouthern basin, frozen during the six winter months, was absolutelyinaccessible. What became of the whales in that time? Doubtless they wentbeneath the icebergs, seeking more practicable seas. As to the seals andmorses, accustomed to live in a hard climate, they remained on these icyshores. These creatures have the instinct to break holes in the ice-fieldand to keep them open. To these holes they come for breath; when the birds,



driven away by the cold, have emigrated to the north, these sea mammalsremain sole masters of the polar continent. But the reservoirs were fillingwith water, and the Nautilus was slowly descending. At 1,000 feet deep itstopped; its screw beat the waves, and it advanced straight towards thenorth at a speed of fifteen miles an hour. Towards night it was alreadyfloating under the immense body of the iceberg. At three in the morning Iwas awakened by a violent shock. I sat up in my bed and listened in thedarkness, when I was thrown into the middle of the room. The Nautilus,after having struck, had rebounded violently. I groped along the partition,and by the staircase to the saloon, which was lit by the luminous ceiling.The furniture was upset. Fortunately the windows were firmly set, and hadheld fast. The pictures on the starboard side, from being no longervertical, were clinging to the paper, whilst those of the port side werehanging at least a foot from the wall. The Nautilus was lying on itsstarboard side perfectly motionless. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 242

I heard footsteps, and a confusion of voices; but Captain Nemo did notappear. As I was leaving the saloon, Ned Land and Conseil entered.

"What is the matter?" said I, at once.

"I came to ask you, sir," replied Conseil.

"Confound it!" exclaimed the Canadian, "I know well enough! TheNautilus has struck; and, judging by the way she lies, I do not think shewill right herself as she did the first time in Torres Straits."

"But," I asked, "has she at least come to the surface of the sea?"

"We do not know," said Conseil.

"It is easy to decide," I answered. I consulted the manometer. To mygreat surprise, it showed a depth of more than 180 fathoms. "What does thatmean?" I exclaimed.

"We must ask Captain Nemo," said Conseil.

"But where shall we find him?" said Ned Land.

"Follow me," said I, to my companions.

We left the saloon. There was no one in the library. At the centrestaircase, by the berths of the ship's crew, there was no one. I thoughtthat Captain Nemo must be in the pilot's cage. It was best to wait. We allreturned to the saloon. For twenty minutes we remained thus, trying to hearthe slightest noise which might be made on board the Nautilus, when CaptainNemo entered. He seemed not to see us; his face, generally so impassive,showed signs of uneasiness. He watched the compass silently, then the

manometer; and, going to the planisphere, placed his finger on a spotrepresenting the southern seas. I would not interrupt him; but, someminutes later, when he turned towards me, I said, using one of his ownexpressions in the Torres Straits:

"An incident, Captain?"

"No, sir; an accident this time."

"Serious?"



"Perhaps."

"Is the danger immediate?"

"No."

"The Nautilus has stranded?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 243

"Yes."

"And this has happened -- how?"

"From a caprice of nature, not from the ignorance of man. Not amistake has been made in the working. But we cannot prevent equilibriumfrom producing its effects. We may brave human laws, but we cannot resistnatural ones."

Captain Nemo had chosen a strange moment for uttering thisphilosophical reflection. On the whole, his answer helped me little.

"May I ask, sir, the cause of this accident?"

"An enormous block of ice, a whole mountain, has turned over," hereplied. "When icebergs are undermined at their base by warmer water orreiterated shocks their centre of gravity rises, and the whole thing turnsover. This is what has happened; one of these blocks, as it fell, struckthe Nautilus, then, gliding under its hull, raised it with irresistibleforce, bringing it into beds which are not so thick, where it is lying onits side."

"But can we not get the Nautilus off by emptying its reservoirs, thatit might regain its equilibrium?"

"That, sir, is being done at this moment. You can hear the pump

working. Look at the needle of the manometer; it shows that the Nautilus isrising, but the block of ice is floating with it; and, until some obstaclestops its ascending motion, our position cannot be altered."

Indeed, the Nautilus still held the same position to starboard;doubtless it would right itself when the block stopped. But at this momentwho knows if we may not be frightfully crushed between the two glassysurfaces? I reflected on all the consequences of our position. Captain Nemonever took his eyes off the manometer. Since the fall of the iceberg, theNautilus had risen about a hundred and fifty feet, but it still made thesame angle with the perpendicular. Suddenly a slight movement was felt inthe hold. Evidently it was righting a little. Things hanging in the saloonwere sensibly returning to their normal position. The partitions were

nearing the upright. No one spoke. With beating hearts we watched and feltthe straightening. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 244

The boards became horizontal under our feet. Ten minutes passed.

"At last we have righted!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," said Captain Nemo, going to the door of the saloon.



"But are we floating?" I asked.

"Certainly," he replied; "since the reservoirs are not empty; and,when empty, the Nautilus must rise to the surface of the sea."

We were in open sea; but at a distance of about ten yards, on eitherside of the Nautilus, rose a dazzling wall of ice. Above and beneath thesame wall. Above, because the lower surface of the iceberg stretched overus like an immense ceiling. Beneath, because the overturned block, havingslid by degrees, had found a resting-place on the lateral walls, which keptit in that position. The Nautilus was really imprisoned in a perfect tunnelof ice more than twenty yards in breadth, filled with quiet water. It waseasy to get out of it by going either forward or backward, and then make afree passage under the iceberg, some hundreds of yards deeper. The luminousceiling had been extinguished, but the saloon was still resplendent withintense light. It was the powerful reflection from the glass partition sentviolently back to the sheets of the lantern. I cannot describe the effectof the voltaic rays upon the great blocks so capriciously cut; upon everyangle, every ridge, every facet was thrown a different light, according tothe nature of the veins running through the ice; a dazzling mine of gems,particularly of sapphires, their blue rays crossing with the green of theemerald. Here and there were opal shades of wonderful softness, runningthrough bright spots like diamonds of fire, the brilliancy of which the eye

could not bear. The power of the lantern seemed increased a hundredfold,like a lamp through the lenticular plates of a first-class lighthouse.

"How beautiful! how beautiful!" cried Conseil.

"Yes," I said, "it is a wonderful sight. Is it not, Ned?"

"Yes, confound it! Yes," answered Ned Land, "it is superb! I am mad atbeing obliged to admit it. No one ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 245

has ever seen anything like it; but the sight may cost us dear. And, if I

must say all, I think we are seeing here things which God never intendedman to see."

Ned was right, it was too beautiful. Suddenly a cry from Conseil mademe turn.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Shut your eyes, sir! Do not look, sir!" Saying which, Conseil clappedhis hands over his eyes.

"But what is the matter, my boy?"

"I am dazzled, blinded."

My eyes turned involuntarily towards the glass, but I could not standthe fire which seemed to devour them. I understood what had happened. TheNautilus had put on full speed. All the quiet lustre of the ice-walls wasat once changed into flashes of lightning. The fire from these myriads ofdiamonds was blinding. It required some time to calm our troubled looks. Atlast the hands were taken down.

"Faith, I should never have believed it," said Conseil.



It was then five in the morning; and at that moment a shock was feltat the bows of the Nautilus. I knew that its spur had struck a block ofice. It must have been a false manoeuvre, for this submarine tunnel,obstructed by blocks, was not very easy navigation. I thought that CaptainNemo, by changing his course, would either turn these obstacles or elsefollow the windings of the tunnel. In any case, the road before us couldnot be entirely blocked. But, contrary to my expectations, the Nautilustook a decided retrograde motion.

"We are going backwards?" said Conseil.

"Yes," I replied. "This end of the tunnel can have no egress."

"And then?"

"Then," said I, "the working is easy. We must go back again, and goout at the southern opening. That is all."

In speaking thus, I wished to appear more confident than I really was.But the retrograde motion of the Nautilus was increasing; and, reversingthe screw, it carried us at great speed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 246

"It will be a hindrance," said Ned.

"What does it matter, some hours more or less, provided we get out atlast?"

"Yes," repeated Ned Land, "provided we do get out at last!"

For a short time I walked from the saloon to the library. Mycompanions were silent. I soon threw myself on an ottoman, and took a book,which my eyes overran mechanically. A quarter of an hour after, Conseil,approaching me, said, "Is what you are reading very interesting, sir?"

"Very interesting!" I replied.

"I should think so, sir. It is your own book you are reading."

"My book?"

And indeed I was holding in my hand the work on the Great SubmarineDepths. I did not even dream of it. I closed the book and returned to mywalk. Ned and Conseil rose to go.

"Stay here, my friends," said I, detaining them. "Let us remaintogether until we are out of this block."

"As you please, sir," Conseil replied.

Some hours passed. I often looked at the instruments hanging from thepartition. The manometer showed that the Nautilus kept at a constant depthof more than three hundred yards; the compass still pointed to south; thelog indicated a speed of twenty miles an hour, which, in such a crampedspace, was very great. But Captain Nemo knew that he could not hasten toomuch, and that minutes were worth ages to us. At twenty-five minutes pasteight a second shock took place, this time from behind. I turned pale. Mycompanions were close by my side. I seized Conseil's hand. Our looks



expressed our feelings better than words. At this moment the Captainentered the saloon. I went up to him.

"Our course is barred southward?" I asked.

"Yes, sir. The iceberg has shifted and closed every outlet."

"We are blocked up then?"

"Yes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 247

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.16

WANT OF AIR

THUS around the Nautilus, above and below, was an impenetrable wall ofice. We were prisoners to the iceberg. I watched the Captain. Hiscountenance had resumed its habitual imperturbability.

"Gentlemen," he said calmly, "there are two ways of dying in thecircumstances in which we are placed." (This puzzling person had the air ofa mathematical professor lecturing to his pupils.) "The first is to becrushed; the second is to die of suffocation. I do not speak of thepossibility of dying of hunger, for the supply of provisions in theNautilus will certainly last longer than we shall. Let us, then, calculateour chances."

"As to suffocation, Captain," I replied, "that is not to be feared,because our reservoirs are full."

"Just so; but they will only yield two days' supply of air. Now, forthirty-six hours we have been hidden under the water, and already the heavy

atmosphere of the Nautilus requires renewal. In forty-eight hours ourreserve will be exhausted."

"Well, Captain, can we be delivered before forty-eight hours?"

"We will attempt it, at least, by piercing the wall that surroundsus."

"On which side?"

"Sound will tell us. I am going to run the Nautilus aground on thelower bank, and my men will attack the iceberg on the side that is leastthick."

Captain Nemo went out. Soon I discovered by a hissing noise that thewater was entering the reservoirs. The Nautilus sank slowly, and rested onthe ice at a depth of 350 yards, the depth at which the lower bank wasimmersed.

"My friends," I said, "our situation is serious, but I rely on yourcourage and energy."

"Sir," replied the Canadian, "I am ready to do anything for the



general safety." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 248

"Good! Ned," and I held out my hand to the Canadian.

"I will add," he continued, "that, being as handy with the pickaxe aswith the harpoon, if I can be useful to the Captain, he can command myservices."

"He will not refuse your help. Come, Ned!"

I led him to the room where the crew of the Nautilus were putting ontheir cork-jackets. I told the Captain of Ned's proposal, which heaccepted. The Canadian put on his sea-costume, and was ready as soon as hiscompanions. When Ned was dressed, I re-entered the drawing-room, where thepanes of glass were open, and, posted near Conseil, I examined the ambientbeds that supported the Nautilus. Some instants after, we saw a dozen ofthe crew set foot on the bank of ice, and among them Ned Land, easily knownby his stature. Captain Nemo was with them. Before proceeding to dig thewalls, he took the soundings, to be sure of working in the right direction.Long sounding lines were sunk in the side walls, but after fifteen yardsthey were again stopped by the thick wall. It was useless to attack it onthe ceiling-like surface, since the iceberg itself measured more than 400

yards in height. Captain Nemo then sounded the lower surface. There tenyards of wall separated us from the water, so great was the thickness ofthe ice-field. It was necessary, therefore, to cut from it a piece equal inextent to the waterline of the Nautilus. There were about 6,000 cubic yardsto detach, so as to dig a hole by which we could descend to the ice-field.The work had begun immediately and carried on with indefatigable energy.Instead of digging round the Nautilus which would have involved greaterdifficulty, Captain Nemo had an immense trench made at eight yards from theport-quarter. Then the men set to work simultaneously with their screws onseveral points of its circumference. Presently the pickaxe attacked thiscompact matter vigorously, and large blocks were detached from the mass. Bya curious effect of specific gravity, these blocks, lighter than water,fled, so to speak, to the vault of the tunnel, that increased in thickness

at the top in proportion as it diminished at the base. But that matteredlittle, so long as the lower part grew thinner. After two ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 249

hours' hard work, Ned Land came in exhausted. He and his comrades werereplaced by new workers, whom Conseil and I joined. The second lieutenantof the Nautilus superintended us. The water seemed singularly cold, but Isoon got warm handling the pickaxe. My movements were free enough, althoughthey were made under a pressure of thirty atmospheres. When I re-entered,after working two hours, to take some food and rest, I found a perceptibledifference between the pure fluid with which the Rouquayrol engine suppliedme and the atmosphere of the Nautilus, already charged with carbonic acid.

The air had not been renewed for forty-eight hours, and its vivifyingqualities were considerably enfeebled. However, after a lapse of twelvehours, we had only raised a block of ice one yard thick, on the markedsurface, which was about 600 cubic yards! Reckoning that it took twelvehours to accomplish this much it would take five nights and four days tobring this enterprise to a satisfactory conclusion. Five nights and fourdays! And we have only air enough for two days in the reservoirs! "Withouttaking into account," said Ned, "that, even if we get out of this infernalprison, we shall also be imprisoned under the iceberg, shut out from allpossible communication with the atmosphere." True enough! Who could then



foresee the minimum of time necessary for our deliverance? We might besuffocated before the Nautilus could regain the surface of the waves? Wasit destined to perish in this ice-tomb, with all those it enclosed? Thesituation was terrible. But everyone had looked the danger in the face, andeach was determined to do his duty to the last.

As I expected, during the night a new block a yard square was carriedaway, and still further sank the immense hollow. But in the morning when,dressed in my cork-jacket, I traversed the slushy mass at a temperature ofsix or seven degrees below zero, I remarked that the side walls weregradually closing in. The beds of water farthest from the trench, that werenot warmed by the men's work, showed a tendency to solidification. Inpresence of this new and imminent danger, what would become of our chancesof safety, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 250

and how hinder the solidification of this liquid medium, that would burstthe partitions of the Nautilus like glass?

I did not tell my companions of this new danger. What was the good ofdamping the energy they displayed in the painful work of escape? But when Iwent on board again, I told Captain Nemo of this grave complication.

"I know it," he said, in that calm tone which could counteract themost terrible apprehensions. "It is one danger more; but I see no way ofescaping it; the only chance of safety is to go quicker thansolidification. We must be beforehand with it, that is all."

On this day for several hours I used my pickaxe vigorously. The workkept me up. Besides, to work was to quit the Nautilus, and breathe directlythe pure air drawn from the reservoirs, and supplied by our apparatus, andto quit the impoverished and vitiated atmosphere. Towards evening thetrench was dug one yard deeper. When I returned on board, I was nearlysuffocated by the carbonic acid with which the air was filled -- ah! if wehad only the chemical means to drive away this deleterious gas. We hadplenty of oxygen; all this water contained a considerable quantity, and by

dissolving it with our powerful piles, it would restore the vivifyingfluid. I had thought well over it; but of what good was that, since thecarbonic acid produced by our respiration had invaded every part of thevessel? To absorb it, it was necessary to fill some jars with causticpotash, and to shake them incessantly. Now this substance was wanting onboard, and nothing could replace it. On that evening, Captain Nemo ought toopen the taps of his reservoirs, and let some pure air into the interior ofthe Nautilus; without this precaution we could not get rid of the sense ofsuffocation. The next day, March 26th, I resumed my miner's work inbeginning the fifth yard. The side walls and the lower surface of theiceberg thickened visibly. It was evident that they would meet before theNautilus was able to disengage itself. Despair seized me for an instant; mypickaxe nearly fell from my bands. What was the good of digging if I must

be suffocated, crushed by the water that was turning into stone? -- apunishment that the ferocity of ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 251

the savages even would not have invented! Just then Captain Nemo passednear me. I touched his hand and showed him the walls of our prison. Thewall to port had advanced to at least four yards from the hull of theNautilus. The Captain understood me, and signed me to follow him. We wenton board. I took off my cork-jacket and accompanied him into the



drawing-room.

"M. Aronnax, we must attempt some desperate means, or we shall besealed up in this solidified water as in cement."

"Yes; but what is to be done?"

"Ah! if my Nautilus were strong enough to bear this pressure withoutbeing crushed!"

"Well?" I asked, not catching the Captain's idea.

"Do you not understand," he replied, "that this congelation of waterwill help us? Do you not see that by its solidification, it would burstthrough this field of ice that imprisons us, as, when it freezes, it burststhe hardest stones? Do you not perceive that it would be an agent of safetyinstead of destruction?"

"Yes, Captain, perhaps. But, whatever resistance to crushing theNautilus possesses, it could not support this terrible pressure, and wouldbe flattened like an iron plate."

"I know it, sir. Therefore we must not reckon on the aid of nature,but on our own exertions. We must stop this solidification. Not only will

the side walls be pressed together; but there is not ten feet of waterbefore or behind the Nautilus. The congelation gains on us on all sides."

"How long will the air in the reservoirs last for us to breathe onboard?"

The Captain looked in my face. "After to-morrow they will be empty!"

A cold sweat came over me. However, ought I to have been astonished atthe answer? On March 22, the Nautilus was in the open polar seas. We wereat 26°. For five days we had lived on the reserve on board. And what wasleft of the respirable air must be kept for the workers. Even now, as Iwrite, my recollection is still so vivid that an involuntary terror seizes

me and my lungs seem to be without air. Meanwhile, Captain Nemo reflectedsilently, and evidently ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 252

an idea had struck him; but he seemed to reject it. At last, these wordsescaped his lips:

"Boiling water!" he muttered.

"Boiling water?" I cried.

"Yes, sir. We are enclosed in a space that is relatively confined.

Would not jets of boiling water, constantly injected by the pumps, raisethe temperature in this part and stay the congelation?"

"Let us try it," I said resolutely.

"Let us try it, Professor."

The thermometer then stood at 7° outside. Captain Nemo took me to thegalleys, where the vast distillatory machines stood that furnished thedrinkable water by evaporation. They filled these with water, and all the



electric heat from the piles was thrown through the worms bathed in theliquid. In a few minutes this water reached 100°. It was directed towardsthe pumps, while fresh water replaced it in proportion. The heat developedby the troughs was such that cold water, drawn up from the sea after onlyhaving gone through the machines, came boiling into the body of the pump.The injection was begun, and three hours after the thermometer marked 6°below zero outside. One degree was gained. Two hours later the thermometeronly marked 4°.

"We shall succeed," I said to the Captain, after having anxiouslywatched the result of the operation.

"I think," he answered, "that we shall not be crushed. We have no moresuffocation to fear."

During the night the temperature of the water rose to 1° below zero.The injections could not carry it to a higher point. But, as thecongelation of the sea-water produces at least 2°, I was at least reassuredagainst the dangers of solidification.

The next day, March 27th, six yards of ice had been cleared, twelvefeet only remaining to be cleared away. There was yet forty-eight hours'work. The air could not be renewed in the interior of the Nautilus. Andthis day would make it worse. An intolerable weight oppressed me. Towards

three o'clock in the evening this feeling rose to a violent degree. Yawnsdislocated my jaws. My lungs panted ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 253

as they inhaled this burning fluid, which became rarefied more and more. Amoral torpor took hold of me. I was powerless, almost unconscious. My braveConseil, though exhibiting the same symptoms and suffering in the samemanner, never left me. He took my hand and encouraged me, and I heard himmurmur, "Oh! if I could only not breathe, so as to leave more air for mymaster!"

Tears came into my eyes on hearing him speak thus. If our situation to

all was intolerable in the interior, with what haste and gladness would weput on our cork-jackets to work in our turn! Pickaxes sounded on the frozenice- beds. Our arms ached, the skin was torn off our hands. But what werethese fatigues, what did the wounds matter? Vital air came to the lungs! Webreathed! we breathed!

All this time no one prolonged his voluntary task beyond theprescribed time. His task accomplished, each one handed in turn to hispanting companions the apparatus that supplied him with life. Captain Nemoset the example, and submitted first to this severe discipline. When thetime came, he gave up his apparatus to another and returned to the vitiatedair on board, calm, unflinching, unmurmuring.

On that day the ordinary work was accomplished with unusual vigour.Only two yards remained to be raised from the surface. Two yards onlyseparated us from the open sea. But the reservoirs were nearly emptied ofair. The little that remained ought to be kept for the workers; not aparticle for the Nautilus. When I went back on board, I was halfsuffocated. What a night! I know not how to describe it. The next day mybreathing was oppressed. Dizziness accompanied the pain in my head and mademe like a drunken man. My companions showed the same symptoms. Some of thecrew had rattling in the throat.



introduction of water had been the means of disturbing its equilibrium.Then, impelled by its powerful screw, it attacked the ice-field frombeneath like a formidable battering-ram. It broke it by backing and thenrushing forward against the field, which gradually gave way; and at last,dashing suddenly against it, shot forwards on the ice-field, that crushedbeneath its weight. The panel was opened -- one might say torn off -- andthe pure air came in in abundance to all parts of the Nautilus.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.17

FROM CAPE HORN TO THE AMAZON

How I got on to the platform, I have no idea; perhaps the Canadian hadcarried me there. But I breathed, I inhaled the vivifying sea-air. My twocompanions were getting drunk with the fresh particles. The other unhappymen had been so long without food, that they could not with impunityindulge in the simplest aliments that were given them. We, on the contrary,had no end to restrain ourselves; we could draw this air freely into ourlungs, and it was the breeze, the breeze alone, that filled us with thiskeen enjoyment. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 256

"Ah!" said Conseil, "how delightful this oxygen is! Master need notfear to breathe it. There is enough for everybody."

Ned Land did not speak, but he opened his jaws wide enough to frightena shark. Our strength soon returned, and, when I looked round me, I saw wewere alone on the platform. The foreign seamen in the Nautilus werecontented with the air that circulated in the interior; none of them hadcome to drink in the open air.

The first words I spoke were words of gratitude and thankfulness to mytwo companions. Ned and Conseil had prolonged my life during the last hoursof this long agony. All my gratitude could not repay such devotion.

"My friends," said I, "we are bound one to the other for ever, and Iam under infinite obligations to you."

"Which I shall take advantage of," exclaimed the Canadian.

"What do you mean?" said Conseil.

"I mean that I shall take you with me when I leave this infernalNautilus."

"Well," said Conseil, "after all this, are we going right?"

"Yes," I replied, "for we are going the way of the sun, and here thesun is in the north."

"No doubt," said Ned Land; "but it remains to be seen whether he willbring the ship into the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean, that is, intofrequented or deserted seas."

I could not answer that question, and I feared that Captain Nemo wouldrather take us to the vast ocean that touches the coasts of Asia andAmerica at the same time. He would thus complete the tour round the



submarine world, and return to those waters in which the Nautilus couldsail freely. We ought, before long, to settle this important point. TheNautilus went at a rapid pace. The polar circle was soon passed, and thecourse shaped for Cape Horn. We were off the American point, March 31st, atseven o'clock in the evening. Then all our past sufferings were forgotten.The remembrance of that imprisonment in the ice was effaced from our minds.We only thought of the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 257

future. Captain Nemo did not appear again either in the drawing-room or onthe platform. The point shown each day on the planisphere, and, marked bythe lieutenant, showed me the exact direction of the Nautilus. Now, on thatevening, it was evident, to, my great satisfaction, that we were going backto the North by the Atlantic. The next day, April 1st, when the Nautilusascended to the surface some minutes before noon, we sighted land to thewest. It was Terra del Fuego, which the first navigators named thus fromseeing the quantity of smoke that rose from the natives' huts. The coastseemed low to me, but in the distance rose high mountains. I even thought Ihad a glimpse of Mount Sarmiento, that rises 2,070 yards above the level ofthe sea, with a very pointed summit, which, according as it is misty orclear, is a sign of fine or of wet weather. At this moment the peak wasclearly defined against the sky. The Nautilus, diving again under thewater, approached the coast, which was only some few miles off. From the

glass windows in the drawing-room, I saw long seaweeds and gigantic fuciand varech, of which the open polar sea contains so many specimens, withtheir sharp polished filaments; they measured about 300 yards in length --real cables, thicker than one's thumb; and, having great tenacity, they areoften used as ropes for vessels. Another weed known as velp, with leavesfour feet long, buried in the coral concretions, hung at the bottom. Itserved as nest and food for myriads of crustacea and molluscs, crabs, andcuttlefish. There seals and otters had splendid repasts, eating the fleshof fish with sea-vegetables, according to the English fashion. Over thisfertile and luxuriant ground the Nautilus passed with great rapidity.Towards evening it approached the Falkland group, the rough summits ofwhich I recognised the following day. The depth of the sea was moderate. Onthe shores our nets brought in beautiful specimens of seaweed, and

particularly a certain fucus, the roots of which were filled with the bestmussels in the world. Geese and ducks fell by dozens on the platform, andsoon took their places in the pantry on board. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 258

When the last heights of the Falklands had disappeared from thehorizon, the Nautilus sank to between twenty and twenty-five yards, andfollowed the American coast. Captain Nemo did not show himself. Until the3rd of April we did not quit the shores of Patagonia, sometimes under theocean, sometimes at the surface. The Nautilus passed beyond the largeestuary formed by the Uraguay. Its direction was northwards, and followedthe long windings of the coast of South America. We had then made 1,600

miles since our embarkation in the seas of Japan. About eleven o'clock inthe morning the Tropic of Capricorn was crossed on the thirty-seventhmeridian, and we passed Cape Frio standing out to sea. Captain Nemo, to NedLand's great displeasure, did not like the neighbourhood of the inhabitedcoasts of Brazil, for we went at a giddy speed. Not a fish, not a bird ofthe swiftest kind could follow us, and the natural curiosities of theseseas escaped all observation.

This speed was kept up for several days, and in the evening of the 9thof April we sighted the most westerly point of South America that forms



Cape San Roque. But then the Nautilus swerved again, and sought the lowestdepth of a submarine valley which is between this Cape and Sierra Leone onthe African coast. This valley bifurcates to the parallel of the Antilles,and terminates at the mouth by the enormous depression of 9,000 yards. Inthis place, the geological basin of the ocean forms, as far as the LesserAntilles, a cliff to three and a half miles perpendicular in height, and,at the parallel of the Cape Verde Islands, another wall not lessconsiderable, that encloses thus all the sunk continent of the Atlantic.The bottom of this immense valley is dotted with some mountains, that giveto these submarine places a picturesque aspect. I speak, moreover, from themanuscript charts that were in the library of the Nautilus -- chartsevidently due to Captain Nemo's hand, and made after his personalobservations. For two days the desert and deep waters were visited by meansof the inclined planes. The Nautilus was furnished with long diagonalbroadsides which carried it to all elevations. But on the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 259

11th of April it rose suddenly, and land appeared at the mouth of theAmazon River, a vast estuary, the embouchure of which is so considerablethat it freshens the sea-water for the distance of several leagues.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.18

THE POULPS

FOR several days the Nautilus kept off from the American coast.Evidently it did not wish to risk the tides of the Gulf of Mexico or of thesea of the Antilles. April 16th, we sighted Martinique and Guadaloupe froma distance of about thirty miles. I saw their tall peaks for an instant.The Canadian, who counted on carrying out his projects in the Gulf, byeither landing or hailing one of the numerous boats that coast from oneisland to another, was quite disheartened. Flight would have been quitepracticable, if Ned Land had been able to take possession of the boatwithout the Captain's knowledge. But in the open sea it could not be

thought of. The Canadian, Conseil, and I had a long conversation on thissubject. For six months we had been prisoners on board the Nautilus. We hadtravelled 17,000 leagues; and, as Ned Land said, there was no reason why itshould come to an end. We could hope nothing from the Captain of theNautilus, but only from ourselves. Besides, for some time past he hadbecome graver, more retired, less sociable. He seemed to shun me. I met himrarely. Formerly he was pleased to explain the submarine marvels to me; nowhe left me to my studies, and came no more to the saloon. What change hadcome over him? For what cause? For my part, I did not wish to bury with memy curious and novel studies. I had now the power to write the true book ofthe sea; and this book, sooner or later, I wished to see daylight. The landnearest us was the archipelago of the Bahamas. There rose high submarinecliffs covered with large weeds. It was about eleven o'clock when Ned Land

drew my attention to a formidable pricking, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 260

like the sting of an ant, which was produced by means of large seaweeds.

"Well," I said, "these are proper caverns for poulps, and I should notbe astonished to see some of these monsters."

"What!" said Conseil; "cuttlefish, real cuttlefish of the cephalopod



class?"

"No," I said, "poulps of huge dimensions."

"I will never believe that such animals exist," said Ned.

"Well," said Conseil, with the most serious air in the world, "Iremember perfectly to have seen a large vessel drawn under the waves by anoctopus's arm."

"You saw that?" said the Canadian.

"Yes, Ned."

"With your own eyes?"

"With my own eyes."

"Where, pray, might that be?"

"At St. Malo," answered Conseil.

"In the port?" said Ned, ironically.

"No; in a church," replied Conseil.

"In a church!" cried the Canadian.

"Yes; friend Ned. In a picture representing the poulp in question."

"Good!" said Ned Land, bursting out laughing.

"He is quite right," I said. "I have heard of this picture; but thesubject represented is taken from a legend, and you know what to think oflegends in the matter of natural history. Besides, when it is a question ofmonsters, the imagination is apt to run wild. Not only is it supposed thatthese poulps can draw down vessels, but a certain Olaus Magnus speaks of an

octopus a mile long that is more like an island than an animal. It is alsosaid that the Bishop of Nidros was building an altar on an immense rock.Mass finished, the rock began to walk, and returned to the sea. The rockwas a poulp. Another Bishop, Pontoppidan, speaks also of a poulp on which aregiment of cavalry could manoeuvre. Lastly, the ancient naturalists speakof monsters whose mouths were like gulfs, and which were too large to passthrough the Straits of Gibraltar."

"But how much is true of these stories?" asked Conseil. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 261

"Nothing, my friends; at least of that which passes the limit of truth

to get to fable or legend. Nevertheless, there must be some ground for theimagination of the story-tellers. One cannot deny that poulps andcuttlefish exist of a large species, inferior, however, to the cetaceans.Aristotle has stated the dimensions of a cuttlefish as five cubits, or ninefeet two inches. Our fishermen frequently see some that are more than fourfeet long. Some skeletons of poulps are preserved in the museums of Triesteand Montpelier, that measure two yards in length. Besides, according to thecalculations of some naturalists, one of these animals only six feet longwould have tentacles twenty-seven feet long. That would suffice to make aformidable monster."



"Do they fish for them in these days?" asked Ned.

"If they do not fish for them, sailors see them at least. One of myfriends, Captain Paul Bos of Havre, has often affirmed that he met one ofthese monsters of colossal dimensions in the Indian seas. But the mostastonishing fact, and which does not permit of the denial of the existenceof these gigantic animals, happened some years ago, in 1861."

"What is the fact?" asked Ned Land.

"This is it. In 1861, to the north-east of Teneriffe, very nearly inthe same latitude we are in now, the crew of the despatch-boat Alectorperceived a monstrous cuttlefish swimming in the waters. Captain Bouguerwent near to the animal, and attacked it with harpoon and guns, withoutmuch success, for balls and harpoons glided over the soft flesh. Afterseveral fruitless attempts the crew tried to pass a slip-knot round thebody of the mollusc. The noose slipped as far as the tail fins and therestopped. They tried then to haul it on board, but its weight was soconsiderable that the tightness of the cord separated the tail from the,body, and, deprived of this ornament, he disappeared under the water."

"Indeed! is that a fact?"

"An indisputable fact, my good Ned. They proposed to name this poulp'Bouguer's cuttlefish.'"

"What length was it?" asked the Canadian.

"Did it not measure about six yards?" said Conseil, who, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 269

posted at the window, was examining again the irregular windings of thecliff.

"Precisely," I replied.

"Its head," rejoined Conseil, "was it not crowned with eighttentacles, that beat the water like a nest of serpents?"

"Precisely."

"Had not its eyes, placed at the back of its head, considerabledevelopment?"

"Yes, Conseil."

"And was not its mouth like a parrot's beak?"

"Exactly, Conseil."

"Very well! no offence to master," be replied, quietly; "if this isnot Bouguer's cuttlefish, it is, at least, one of its brothers."

I looked at Conseil. Ned Land hurried to the window.

"What a horrible beast!" he cried.

I looked in my turn, and could not repress a gesture of disgust.



Before my eyes was a horrible monster worthy to figure in the legends ofthe marvellous. It was an immense cuttlefish, being eight yards long. Itswam crossways in the direction of the Nautilus with great speed, watchingus with its enormous staring green eyes. Its eight arms, or rather feet,fixed to its head, that have given the name of cephalopod to these animals,were twice as long as its body, and were twisted like the furies' hair. Onecould see the 250 air- holes on the inner side of the tentacles. Themonster's mouth, a horned beak like a parrot's, opened and shut vertically.Its tongue, a horned substance, furnished with several rows of pointedteeth, came out quivering from this veritable pair of shears. What a freakof nature, a bird's beak on a mollusc! Its spindle-like body formed afleshy mass that might weigh 4,000 to 5,000 lb.; the, varying colourchanging with great rapidity, according to the irritation of the animal,passed successively from livid grey to reddish brown. What irritated thismollusc? No doubt the presence of the Nautilus, more formidable thanitself, and on which its suckers or its jaws had no hold. Yet, whatmonsters these poulps are! what vitality the Creator has given them! whatvigour in their movements! and they possess three hearts! Chance ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 263

had brought us in presence of this cuttlefish, and I did not wish to losethe opportunity of carefully studying this specimen of cephalopods. Iovercame the horror that inspired me, and, taking a pencil, began to draw

it.

"Perhaps this is the same which the Alector saw," said Conseil.

"No," replied the Canadian; "for this is whole, and the other had lostits tail."

"That is no reason," I replied. "The arms and tails of these animalsare re-formed by renewal; and in seven years the tail of Bouguer'scuttlefish has no doubt had time to grow."

By this time other poulps appeared at the port light. I counted seven.They formed a procession after the Nautilus, and I heard their beaks

gnashing against the iron hull. I continued my work. These monsters kept inthe water with such precision that they seemed immovable. Suddenly theNautilus stopped. A shock made it tremble in every plate.

"Have we struck anything?" I asked.

"In any case," replied the Canadian, "we shall be free, for we arefloating."

The Nautilus was floating, no doubt, but it did not move. A minutepassed. Captain Nemo, followed by his lieutenant, entered the drawing-room.I had not seen him for some time. He seemed dull. Without noticing orspeaking to us, he went to the panel, looked at the poulps, and said

something to his lieutenant. The latter went out. Soon the panels wereshut. The ceiling was lighted. I went towards the Captain.

"A curious collection of poulps?" I said.

"Yes, indeed, Mr. Naturalist," he replied; "and we are going to fightthem, man to beast."

I looked at him. I thought I had not heard aright.



"Man to beast?" I repeated.

"Yes, sir. The screw is stopped. I think that the horny jaws of one ofthe cuttlefish is entangled in the blades. That is what prevents ourmoving."

"What are you going to do?"

"Rise to the surface, and slaughter this vermin." ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 264

"A difficult enterprise."

"Yes, indeed. The electric bullets are powerless against the softflesh, where they do not find resistance enough to go off. But we shallattack them with the hatchet."

"And the harpoon, sir," said the Canadian, "if you do not refuse myhelp."

"I will accept it, Master Land."

"We will follow you," I said, and, following Captain Nemo, we went

towards the central staircase.

There, about ten men with boarding-hatchets were ready for the attack.Conseil and I took two hatchets; Ned Land seized a harpoon. The Nautilushad then risen to the surface. One of the sailors, posted on the topladderstep, unscrewed the bolts of the panels. But hardly were the screwsloosed, when the panel rose with great violence, evidently drawn by thesuckers of a poulp's arm. Immediately one of these arms slid like a serpentdown the opening and twenty others were above. With one blow of the axe,Captain Nemo cut this formidable tentacle, that slid wriggling down theladder. Just as we were pressing one on the other to reach the platform,two other arms, lashing the air, came down on the seaman placed beforeCaptain Nemo, and lifted him up with irresistible power. Captain Nemo

uttered a cry, and rushed out. We hurried after him.

What a scene! The unhappy man, seized by the tentacle and fixed to thesuckers, was balanced in the air at the caprice of this enormous trunk. Herattled in his throat, he was stifled, he cried, "Help! help!" These words,spoken in French, startled me! I had a fellow-countryman on board, perhapsseveral! That heart-rending cry! I shall hear it all my life. Theunfortunate man was lost. Who could rescue him from that powerful pressure?However, Captain Nemo had rushed to the poulp, and with one blow of the axehad cut through one arm. His lieutenant struggled furiously against othermonsters that crept on the flanks of the Nautilus. The crew fought withtheir axes. The Canadian, Conseil, and I buried our weapons in the fleshymasses; a strong smell of musk penetrated the atmosphere. It was horrible!

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 265

For one instant, I thought the unhappy man, entangled with the poulp,would be torn from its powerful suction. Seven of the eight arms had beencut off. One only wriggled in the air, brandishing the victim like afeather. But just as Captain Nemo and his lieutenant threw themselves onit, the animal ejected a stream of black liquid. We were blinded with it.When the cloud dispersed, the cuttlefish had disappeared, and myunfortunate countryman with it. Ten or twelve poulps now invaded the



platform and sides of the Nautilus. We rolled pell-mell into the midst ofthis nest of serpents, that wriggled on the platform in the waves of bloodand ink. It seemed as though these slimy tentacles sprang up like thehydra's heads. Ned Land's harpoon, at each stroke, was plunged into thestaring eyes of the cuttlefish. But my bold companion was suddenlyoverturned by the tentacles of a monster he had not been able to avoid.

Ah! how my heart beat with emotion and horror! The formidable beak ofa cuttlefish was open over Ned Land. The unhappy man would be cut in two. Irushed to his succour. But Captain Nemo was before me; his axe disappearedbetween the two enormous jaws, and, miraculously saved, the Canadian,rising, plunged his harpoon deep into the triple heart of the poulp.

"I owed myself this revenge!" said the Captain to the Canadian.

Ned bowed without replying. The combat had lasted a quarter of anhour. The monsters, vanquished and mutilated, left us at last, anddisappeared under the waves. Captain Nemo, covered with blood, nearlyexhausted, gazed upon the sea that had swallowed up one of his companions,and great tears gathered in his eyes.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.19

THE GULF STREAM

THIS terrible scene of the 20th of April none of us can ever forget. Ihave written it under the influence of violent ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 266

emotion. Since then I have revised the recital; I have read it to Conseiland to the Canadian. They found it exact as to facts, but insufficient asto effect. To paint such pictures, one must have the pen of the mostillustrious of our poets, the author of The Toilers of the Deep.

I have said that Captain Nemo wept while watching the waves; his griefwas great. It was the second companion he had lost since our arrival onboard, and what a death! That friend, crushed, stifled, bruised by thedreadful arms of a poulp, pounded by his iron jaws, would not rest with hiscomrades in the peaceful coral cemetery! In the midst of the struggle, itwas the despairing cry uttered by the unfortunate man that had torn myheart. The poor Frenchman, forgetting his conventional language, had takento his own mother tongue, to utter a last appeal! Amongst the crew of theNautilus, associated with the body and soul of the Captain, recoiling likehim from all contact with men, I had a fellow-countryman. Did be alonerepresent France in this mysterious association, evidently composed ofindividuals of divers nationalities? It was one of these insoluble problemsthat rose up unceasingly before my mind!

Captain Nemo entered his room, and I saw him no more for some time.But that he was sad and irresolute I could see by the vessel, of which hewas the soul, and which received all his impressions. The Nautilus did notkeep on in its settled course; it floated about like a corpse at the willof the waves. It went at random. He could not tear himself away from thescene of the last struggle, from this sea that had devoured one of his men.Ten days passed thus. It was not till the 1st of May that the Nautilusresumed its northerly course, after having sighted the Bahamas at the mouthof the Bahama Canal. We were then following the current from the largest



"Well, sir?" said Ned, seeing I did not reply.

"Well, Ned, do you wish me to ask Captain Nemo his intentionsconcerning us?"

"Yes, sir."

"Although he has already made them known?"

"Yes; I wish it settled finally. Speak for me, in my name only, if youlike."

"But I so seldom meet him. He avoids me."

"That is all the more reason for you to go to see him."

I went to my room. From thence I meant to go to Captain Nemo's. Itwould not do to let this opportunity of meeting him slip. I knocked at thedoor. No answer. I knocked again, then turned the handle. The door opened,I went in. The Captain was there. Bending over his work-table, he had notheard me. Resolved not to go without having spoken, I approached him. Heraised his head quickly, frowned, and said roughly, "You here! What do youwant?"

"To speak to you, Captain."

"But I am busy, sir; I am working. I leave you at liberty to shutyourself up; cannot I be allowed the same?"

This reception was not encouraging; but I was determined to hear andanswer everything.

"Sir," I said coldly, "I have to speak to you on a matter that admitsof no delay."

"What is that, sir?" he replied, ironically. "Have you discovered ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page 269

something that has escaped me, or has the sea delivered up any newsecrets?"

We were at cross-purposes. But, before I could reply, he showed me anopen manuscript on his table, and said, in a more serious tone, "Here, M.Aronnax, is a manuscript written in several languages. It contains the sumof my studies of the sea; and, if it please God, it shall not perish withme. This manuscript, signed with my name, complete with the history of mylife, will be shut up in a little floating case. The last survivor of allof us on board the Nautilus will throw this case into the sea, and it willgo whither it is borne by the waves."

This man's name! his history written by himself! His mystery wouldthen be revealed some day.

"Captain," I said, "I can but approve of the idea that makes you actthus. The result of your studies must not be lost. But the means you employseem to me to be primitive. Who knows where the winds will carry this case,and in whose hands it will fall? Could you not use some other means? Couldnot you, or one of yours -- "



"Never, sir!" he said, hastily interrupting me.

"But I and my companions are ready to keep this manuscript in store;and, if you will put us at liberty -- "

"At liberty?" said the Captain, rising.

"Yes, sir; that is the subject on which I wish to question you. Forseven months we have been here on board, and I ask you to-day, in the nameof my companions and in my own, if your intention is to keep us herealways?"

"M. Aronnax, I will answer you to-day as I did seven months ago:Whoever enters the Nautilus, must never quit it."

"You impose actual slavery upon us!"

"Give it what name you please."

"But everywhere the slave has the right to regain his liberty."

"Who denies you this right? Have I ever tried to chain you with anoath?"

He looked at me with his arms crossed.

"Sir," I said, "to return a second time to this subject ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 270

will be neither to your nor to my taste; but, as we have entered upon it,let us go through with it. I repeat, it is not only myself whom itconcerns. Study is to me a relief, a diversion, a passion that could makeme forget everything. Like you, I am willing to live obscure, in the frailhope of bequeathing one day, to future time, the result of my labours. Butit is otherwise with Ned Land. Every man, worthy of the name, deserves someconsideration. Have you thought that love of liberty, hatred of slavery,

can give rise to schemes of revenge in a nature like the Canadian's; thathe could think, attempt, and try -- "

I was silenced; Captain Nemo rose.

"Whatever Ned Land thinks of, attempts, or tries, what does it matterto me? I did not seek him! It is not for my pleasure that I keep him onboard! As for you, M. Aronnax, you are one of those who can understandeverything, even silence. I have nothing more to say to you. Let this firsttime you have come to treat of this subject be the last, for a second timeI will not listen to you."

I retired. Our situation was critical. I related my conversation to my

two companions.

"We know now," said Ned, "that we can expect nothing from this man.The Nautilus is nearing Long Island. We will escape, whatever the weathermay be."

But the sky became more and more threatening. Symptoms of a hurricanebecame manifest. The atmosphere was becoming white and misty. On thehorizon fine streaks of cirrhous clouds were succeeded by masses of cumuli.Other low clouds passed swiftly by. The swollen sea rose in huge billows.



The birds disappeared with the exception of the petrels, those friends ofthe storm. The barometer fell sensibly, and indicated an extreme extensionof the vapours. The mixture of the storm glass was decomposed under theinfluence of the electricity that pervaded the atmosphere. The tempestburst on the 18th of May, just as the Nautilus was floating off LongIsland, some miles from the port of New York. I can describe this strife ofthe elements! for, instead of fleeing to the depths of the sea, CaptainNemo, by an unaccountable caprice, would brave it at the surface. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 271

The wind blew from the south-west at first. Captain Nemo, during thesqualls, had taken his place on the platform. He had made himself fast, toprevent being washed overboard by the monstrous waves. I had hoisted myselfup, and made myself fast also, dividing my admiration between the tempestand this extraordinary man who was coping with it. The raging sea was sweptby huge cloud-drifts, which were actually saturated with the waves. TheNautilus, sometimes lying on its side, sometimes standing up like a mast,rolled and pitched terribly. About five o'clock a torrent of rain fell,that lulled neither sea nor wind. The hurricane blew nearly forty leaguesan hour. It is under these conditions that it overturns houses, breaks irongates, displaces twenty-four pounders. However, the Nautilus, in the midstof the tempest, confirmed the words of a clever engineer, "There is nowell-constructed hull that cannot defy the sea." This was not a resisting

rock; it was a steel spindle, obedient and movable, without rigging ormasts, that braved its fury with impunity. However, I watched these ragingwaves attentively. They measured fifteen feet in height, and 150 to 175yards long, and their speed of propagation was thirty feet per second.Their bulk and power increased with the depth of the water. Such waves asthese, at the Hebrides, have displaced a mass weighing 8,400 lb. They arethey which, in the tempest of December 23rd, 1864, after destroying thetown of Yeddo, in Japan, broke the same day on the shores of America. Theintensity of the tempest increased with the night. The barometer, as in1860 at Reunion during a cyclone, fell seven-tenths at the close of day. Isaw a large vessel pass the horizon struggling painfully. She was trying tolie to under half steam, to keep up above the waves. It was probably one ofthe steamers of the line from New York to Liverpool, or Havre. It soon

disappeared in the gloom. At ten o'clock in the evening the sky was onfire. The atmosphere was streaked with vivid lightning. I could not bearthe brightness of it; while the captain, looking at it, seemed to envy thespirit of the tempest. A terrible noise filled the air, a complex noise,made up of the howls of the crushed waves, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 272

the roaring of the wind, and the claps of thunder. The wind veered suddenlyto all points of the horizon; and the cyclone, rising in the east, returnedafter passing by the north, west, and south, in the inverse course pursuedby the circular storm of the southern hemisphere. Ah, that Gulf Stream! Itdeserves its name of the King of Tempests. It is that which causes those

formidable cyclones, by the difference of temperature between its air andits currents. A shower of fire had succeeded the rain. The drops of waterwere changed to sharp spikes. One would have thought that Captain Nemo wascourting a death worthy of himself, a death by lightning. As the Nautilus,pitching dreadfully, raised its steel spur in the air, it seemed to act asa conductor, and I saw long sparks burst from it. Crushed and withoutstrength I crawled to the panel, opened it, and descended to the saloon.The storm was then at its height. It was impossible to stand upright in theinterior of the Nautilus. Captain Nemo came down about twelve. I heard thereservoirs filling by degrees, and the Nautilus sank slowly beneath the



waves. Through the open windows in the saloon I saw large fish terrified,passing like phantoms in the water. Some were struck before my eyes. TheNautilus was still descending. I thought that at about eight fathoms deepwe should find a calm. But no! the upper beds were too violently agitatedfor that. We had to seek repose at more than twenty-five fathoms in thebowels of the deep. But there, what quiet, what silence, what peace! Whocould have told that such a hurricane had been let loose on the surface ofthat ocean?

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2.20

FROM LATITUDE 47° 24' TO LONGITUDE 170° 28'

IN CONSEQUENCE of the storm, we had been thrown eastward once more.All hope of escape on the shores of New York or St. Lawrence had fadedaway; and poor Ned, in despair, had isolated himself like Captain Nemo.Conseil ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 273

and I, however, never left each other. I said that the Nautilus had goneaside to the east. I should have said (to be more exact) the north-east.

For some days, it wandered first on the surface, and then beneath it, amidthose fogs so dreaded by sailors. What accidents are due to these thickfogs! What shocks upon these reefs when the wind drowns the breaking of thewaves! What collisions between vessels, in spite of their warning lights,whistles, and alarm bells! And the bottoms of these seas look like a fieldof battle, where still lie all the conquered of the ocean; some old andalready encrusted, others fresh and reflecting from their iron bands andcopper plates the brilliancy of our lantern.

On the 15th of May we were at the extreme south of the Bank ofNewfoundland. This bank consists of alluvia, or large heaps of organicmatter, brought either from the Equator by the Gulf Stream, or from theNorth Pole by the counter-current of cold water which skirts the American

coast. There also are heaped up those erratic blocks which are carriedalong by the broken ice; and close by, a vast charnel-house of molluscs,which perish here by millions. The depth of the sea is not great atNewfoundland -- not more than some hundreds of fathoms; but towards thesouth is a depression of 1,500 fathoms. There the Gulf Stream widens. Itloses some of its speed and some of its temperature, but it becomes a sea.

It was on the 17th of May, about 500 miles from Heart's Content, at adepth of more than 1,400 fathoms, that I saw the electric cable lying onthe bottom. Conseil, to whom I had not mentioned it, thought at first thatit was a gigantic sea-serpent. But I undeceived the worthy fellow, and byway of consolation related several particulars in the laying of this cable.The first one was laid in the years 1857 and 1858; but, after transmitting

about 400 telegrams, would not act any longer. In 1863 the engineersconstructed another one, measuring 2,000 miles in length, and weighing4,500 tons, which was embarked on the Great Eastern. This attempt alsofailed.

On the 25th of May the Nautilus, being at a depth of ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 274

more than 1,918 fathoms, was on the precise spot where the rupture occurred



which ruined the enterprise. It was within 638 miles of the coast ofIreland; and at half-past two in the afternoon they discovered thatcommunication with Europe had ceased. The electricians on board resolved tocut the cable before fishing it up, and at eleven o'clock at night they hadrecovered the damaged part. They made another point and spliced it, and itwas once more submerged. But some days after it broke again, and in thedepths of the ocean could not be recaptured. The Americans, however, werenot discouraged. Cyrus Field, the bold promoter of the enterprise, as hehad sunk all his own fortune, set a new subscription on foot, which was atonce answered, and another cable was constructed on better principles. Thebundles of conducting wires were each enveloped in gutta-percha, andprotected by a wadding of hemp, contained in a metallic covering. The GreatEastern sailed on the 13th of July, 1866. The operation worked well. Butone incident occurred. Several times in unrolling the cable they observedthat nails had recently been forced into it, evidently with the motive ofdestroying it. Captain Anderson, the officers, and engineers consultedtogether, and had it posted up that, if the offender was surprised onboard, he would be thrown without further trial into the sea, >From thattime the criminal attempt was never repeated.

On the 23rd of July the Great Eastern was not more than 500 miles fromNewfoundland, when they telegraphed from Ireland the news of the armisticeconcluded between Prussia and Austria after Sadowa. On the 27th, in themidst of heavy fogs, they reached the port of Heart's Content. The

enterprise was successfully terminated; and for its first despatch, youngAmerica addressed old Europe in these words of wisdom, so rarelyunderstood: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwilltowards men."

I did not expect to find the electric cable in its primitive state,such as it was on leaving the manufactory. The long serpent, covered withthe remains of shells, bristling with foraminiferae, was encrusted with astrong coating which served as a protection against all boring molluscs. Itlay ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 275

quietly sheltered from the motions of the sea, and under a favourablepressure for the transmission of the electric spark which passes fromEurope to America in .32 of a second. Doubtless this cable will last for agreat length of time, for they find that the gutta-percha covering isimproved by the sea-water. Besides, on this level, so well chosen, thecable is never so deeply submerged as to cause it to break. The Nautilusfollowed it to the lowest depth, which was more than 2,212 fathoms, andthere it lay without any anchorage; and then we reached the spot where theaccident had taken place in 1863. The bottom of the ocean then formed avalley about 100 miles broad, in which Mont Blanc might have been placedwithout its summit appearing above the waves. This valley is closed at theeast by a perpendicular wall more than 2,000 yards high. We arrived thereon the 28th of May, and the Nautilus was then not more than 120 miles from

Ireland.

Was Captain Nemo going to land on the British Isles? No. To my greatsurprise he made for the south, once more coming back towards Europeanseas. In rounding the Emerald Isle, for one instant I caught sight of CapeClear, and the light which guides the thousands of vessels leaving Glasgowor Liverpool. An important question then arose in my mind. Did the Nautilusdare entangle itself in the Manche? Ned Land, who had re-appeared since wehad been nearing land, did not cease to question me. How could I answer?Captain Nemo reminded invisible. After having shown the Canadian a glimpse



of American shores, was he going to show me the coast of France?

But the Nautilus was still going southward. On the 30th of May, itpassed in sight of Land's End, between the extreme point of England and theScilly Isles, which were left to starboard. If we wished to enter theManche, he must go straight to the east. He did not do so.

During the whole of the 31st of May, the Nautilus described a seriesof circles on the water, which greatly interested me. It seemed to beseeking a spot it had some trouble in finding. At noon, Captain Nemohimself came to work the ship's log. He spoke no word to me, but seemedgloomier ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 276

than ever. What could sadden him thus? Was it his proximity to Europeanshores? Had he some recollections of his abandoned country? If not, whatdid he feel? Remorse or regret? For a long while this thought haunted mymind, and I had a kind of presentiment that before long chance would betraythe captain's secrets.

The next day, the 1st of June, the Nautilus continued the sameprocess. It was evidently seeking some particular spot in the ocean.Captain Nemo took the sun's altitude as he had done the day before. The sea

was beautiful, the sky clear. About eight miles to the east, a large steamvessel could be discerned on the horizon. No flag fluttered from its mast,and I could not discover its nationality. Some minutes before the sunpassed the meridian, Captain Nemo took his sextant, and watched with greatattention. The perfect rest of the water greatly helped the operation. TheNautilus was motionless; it neither rolled nor pitched.

I was on the platform when the altitude was taken, and the Captainpronounced these words: "It is here."

He turned and went below. Had he seen the vessel which was changingits course and seemed to be nearing us? I could not tell. I returned to thesaloon. The panels closed, I heard the hissing of the water in the

reservoirs. The Nautilus began to sink, following a vertical line, for itsscrew communicated no motion to it. Some minutes later it stopped at adepth of more than 420 fathoms, resting on the ground. The luminous ceilingwas darkened, then the panels were opened, and through the glass I saw thesea brilliantly illuminated by the rays of our lantern for at least half amile round us.

I looked to the port side, and saw nothing but an immensity of quietwaters. But to starboard, on the bottom appeared a large protuberance,which at once attracted my attention. One would have thought it a ruinburied under a coating of white shells, much resembling a covering of snow.Upon examining the mass attentively, I could recognise the ever-thickeningform of a vessel bare of its masts, which must have sunk. It certainly

belonged to past times. This wreck, to be thus encrusted with the lime ofthe water, ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 277

must already be able to count many years passed at the bottom of the ocean.

What was this vessel? Why did the Nautilus visit its tomb? Could ithave been aught but a shipwreck which had drawn it under the water? I knewnot what to think, when near me in a slow voice I heard Captain Nemo say:



nearing the Nautilus, and we could see that it was putting on steam. It waswithin six miles of us.

"What is that ship, Ned?"

"By its rigging, and the height of its lower masts," said theCanadian, "I bet she is a ship-of-war. May it reach us; and, if necessary,sink this cursed Nautilus."

"Friend Ned," replied Conseil, "what harm can it do to the Nautilus?Can it attack it beneath the waves? Can its cannonade us at the bottom ofthe sea?"

"Tell me, Ned," said I, "can you recognise what country she belongsto?"

The Canadian knitted his eyebrows, dropped his eyelids, and screwed upthe corners of his eyes, and for a few moments fixed a piercing look uponthe vessel.

"No, sir," he replied; "I cannot tell what nation she belongs to, forshe shows no colours. But I can declare she is ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 279

a man-of-war, for a long pennant flutters from her main mast."

For a quarter of an hour we watched the ship which was steamingtowards us. I could not, however, believe that she could see the Nautilusfrom that distance; and still less that she could know what this submarineengine was. Soon the Canadian informed me that she was a large, armoured,two- decker ram. A thick black smoke was pouring from her two funnels. Herclosely-furled sails were stopped to her yards. She hoisted no flag at hermizzen-peak. The distance prevented us from distinguishing the colours ofher pennant, which floated like a thin ribbon. She advanced rapidly. IfCaptain Nemo allowed her to approach, there was a chance of salvation forus.

"Sir," said Ned Land, "if that vessel passes within a mile of us Ishall throw myself into the sea, and I should advise you to do the same."

I did not reply to the Canadian's suggestion, but continued watchingthe ship. Whether English, French, American, or Russian, she would be sureto take us in if we could only reach her. Presently a white smoke burstfrom the fore part of the vessel; some seconds after, the water, agitatedby the fall of a heavy body, splashed the stern of the Nautilus, andshortly afterwards a loud explosion struck my ear.

"What! they are firing at us!" I exclaimed.

"So please you, sir," said Ned, "they have recognised the unicorn, andthey are firing at us."

"But," I exclaimed, "surely they can see that there are men in thecase?"

"It is, perhaps, because of that," replied Ned Land, looking at me.

A whole flood of light burst upon my mind. Doubtless they knew now howto believe the stories of the pretended monster. No doubt, on board the



Abraham Lincoln, when the Canadian struck it with the harpoon, CommanderFarragut had recognised in the supposed narwhal a submarine vessel, moredangerous than a supernatural cetacean. Yes, it must have been so; and onevery sea they were now ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 280

seeking this engine of destruction. Terrible indeed! if, as we supposed,Captain Nemo employed the Nautilus in works of vengeance. On the night whenwe were imprisoned in that cell, in the midst of the Indian Ocean, had henot attacked some vessel? The man buried in the coral cemetery, had he notbeen a victim to the shock caused by the Nautilus? Yes, I repeat it, itmust be so. One part of the mysterious existence of Captain Nemo had beenunveiled; and, if his identity had not been recognised, at least, thenations united against him were no longer hunting a chimerical creature,but a man who had vowed a deadly hatred against them. All the formidablepast rose before me. Instead of meeting friends on board the approachingship, we could only expect pitiless enemies. But the shot rattled about us.Some of them struck the sea and ricochetted, losing themselves in thedistance. But none touched the Nautilus. The vessel was not more than threemiles from us. In spite of the serious cannonade, Captain Nemo did notappear on the platform; but, if one of the conical projectiles had struckthe shell of the Nautilus, it would have been fatal. The Canadian thensaid, "Sir, we must do all we can to get out of this dilemma. Let us signal

them. They will then, perhaps, understand that we are honest folks."

Ned Land took his handkerchief to wave in the air; but he had scarcelydisplayed it, when he was struck down by an iron hand, and fell, in spiteof his great strength, upon the deck.

"Fool!" exclaimed the Captain, "do you wish to be pierced by the spurof the Nautilus before it is hurled at this vessel?"

Captain Nemo was terrible to hear; he was still more terrible to see.His face was deadly pale, with a spasm at his heart. For an instant it musthave ceased to beat. His pupils were fearfully contracted. He did notspeak, he roared, as, with his body thrown forward, he wrung the Canadian's

shoulders. Then, leaving him, and turning to the ship of war, whose shotwas still raining around him, he exclaimed, with a powerful voice, "Ah,ship of an accursed ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 281

nation, you know who I am! I do not want your colours to know you by! Look!and I will show you mine!"

And on the fore part of the platform Captain Nemo unfurled a blackflag, similar to the one he had placed at the South Pole. At that moment ashot struck the shell of the Nautilus obliquely, without piercing it; and,rebounding near the Captain, was lost in the sea. He shrugged his

shoulders; and, addressing me, said shortly, "Go down, you and yourcompanions, go down!"

"Sir," I cried, "are you going to attack this vessel?"

"Sir, I am going to sink it."

"You will not do that?"

"I shall do it," he replied coldly. "And I advise you not to judge me,



sir. Fate has shown you what you ought not to have seen. The attack hasbegun; go down."

"What is this vessel?"

"You do not know? Very well! so much the better! Its nationality toyou, at least, will be a secret. Go down!"

We could but obey. About fifteen of the sailors surrounded theCaptain, looking with implacable hatred at the vessel nearing them. Onecould feel that the same desire of vengeance animated every soul. I wentdown at the moment another projectile struck the Nautilus, and I heard theCaptain exclaim:

"Strike, mad vessel! Shower your useless shot! And then, you will notescape the spur of the Nautilus. But it is not here that you shall perish!I would not have your ruins mingle with those of the Avenger!"

I reached my room. The Captain and his second had remained on theplatform. The screw was set in motion, and the Nautilus, moving with speed,was soon beyond the reach of the ship's guns. But the pursuit continued,and Captain Nemo contented himself with keeping his distance.

About four in the afternoon, being no longer able to contain my

impatience, I went to the central staircase. The panel was open, and Iventured on to the platform. The Captain was still walking up and down withan agitated step. He was looking at the ship, which was five or six milesto leeward. ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 282

He was going round it like a wild beast, and, drawing it eastward, heallowed them to pursue. But he did not attack. Perhaps he still hesitated?I wished to mediate once more. But I had scarcely spoken, when Captain Nemoimposed silence, saying:

"I am the law, and I am the judge! I am the oppressed, and there is

the oppressor! Through him I have lost all that I loved, cherished, andvenerated -- country, wife, children, father, and mother. I saw all perish!All that I hate is there! Say no more!"

I cast a last look at the man-of-war, which was putting on steam, andrejoined Ned and Conseil.

"We will fly!" I exclaimed.

"Good!" said Ned. "What is this vessel?"

"I do not know; but, whatever it is, it will be sunk before night. Inany case, it is better to perish with it, than be made accomplices in a

retaliation the justice of which we cannot judge."

"That is my opinion too," said Ned Land, coolly. "Let us wait fornight."

Night arrived. Deep silence reigned on board. The compass showed thatthe Nautilus had not altered its course. It was on the surface, rollingslightly. My companions and I resolved to fly when the vessel should benear enough either to hear us or to see us; for the moon, which would befull in two or three days, shone brightly. Once on board the ship, if we



Ned Land was resolute, Conseil calm, myself so nervous that I knew nothow to contain myself. We all passed into the library; but the moment Ipushed the door opening on to the central staircase, I heard the upperpanel close sharply. The Canadian rushed on to the stairs, but I stoppedhim. A well-known hissing noise told me that the water was running into thereservoirs, and in a few minutes the Nautilus was some yards beneath thesurface of the waves. I understood the manoeuvre. It was too late to act.The Nautilus did not wish to strike at the impenetrable cuirass, but belowthe water-line, where the metallic covering no longer protected it.

We were again imprisoned, unwilling witnesses of the dreadful dramathat was preparing. We had scarcely time to reflect; taking refuge in myroom, we looked at each other without speaking. A deep stupor had takenhold of my mind: thought seemed to stand still. I was in that painful stateof expectation preceding a dreadful report. I waited, I listened, everysense was merged in that of hearing! The speed of the Nautilus wasaccelerated. It was preparing to rush. The whole ship trembled. Suddenly Iscreamed. I felt the shock, but comparatively light. I felt the penetratingpower of the steel spur. I heard rattlings and scrapings. But the Nautilus,carried along by its propelling power, passed through the mass of thevessel like a needle through sailcloth!

I could stand it no longer. Mad, out of my mind, I rushed from my room

into the saloon. Captain Nemo was there, mute, gloomy, implacable; he waslooking through the port panel. A large mass cast a shadow on the water;and, that ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 285

it might lose nothing of her agony, the Nautilus was going down into theabyss with her. Ten yards from me I saw the open shell, through which thewater was rushing with the noise of thunder, then the double line of gunsand the netting. The bridge was covered with black, agitated shadows.

The water was rising. The poor creatures were crowding the ratlines,clinging to the masts, struggling under the water. It was a human ant-heap

overtaken by the sea. Paralysed, stiffened with anguish, my hair standingon end, with eyes wide open, panting, without breath, and without voice, Itoo was watching! An irresistible attraction glued me to the glass!Suddenly an explosion took place. The compressed air blew up her decks, asif the magazines had caught fire. Then the unfortunate vessel sank morerapidly. Her topmast, laden with victims, now appeared; then her spars,bending under the weight of men; and, last of all, the top of her mainmast.Then the dark mass disappeared, and with it the dead crew, drawn down bythe strong eddy.

I turned to Captain Nemo. That terrible avenger, a perfect archangelof hatred, was still looking. When all was over, he turned to his room,opened the door, and entered. I followed him with my eyes. On the end wall

beneath his heroes, I saw the portrait of a woman, still young, and twolittle children. Captain Nemo looked at them for some moments, stretchedhis arms towards them, and, kneeling down, burst into deep sobs.

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Chapter 2.22

THE LAST WORDS OF CAPTAIN NEMO



THE panels had closed on this dreadful vision, but light had notreturned to the saloon: all was silence and darkness within the Nautilus.At wonderful speed, a hundred feet beneath the water, it was leaving thisdesolate spot. Whither was it going? To the north or south? Where was theman flying to after such dreadful retaliation? I had returned to my room,where Ned and Conseil had remained silent ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 286

enough. I felt an insurmountable horror for Captain Nemo. Whatever he hadsuffered at the hands of these men, he had no right to punish thus. He hadmade me, if not an accomplice, at least a witness of his vengeance. Ateleven the electric light reappeared. I passed into the saloon. It wasdeserted. I consulted the different instruments. The Nautilus was flyingnorthward at the rate of twenty-five miles an hour, now on the surface, andnow thirty feet below it. On taking the bearings by the chart, I saw thatwe were passing the mouth of the Manche, and that our course was hurryingus towards the northern seas at a frightful speed. That night we hadcrossed two hundred leagues of the Atlantic. The shadows fell, and the seawas covered with darkness until the rising of the moon. I went to my room,but could not sleep. I was troubled with dreadful nightmare. The horriblescene of destruction was continually before my eyes. From that day, whocould tell into what part of the North Atlantic basin the Nautilus wouldtake us? Still with unaccountable speed. Still in the midst of these

northern fogs. Would it touch at Spitzbergen, or on the shores of NovaZembla? Should we explore those unknown seas, the White Sea, the Sea ofKara, the Gulf of Obi, the Archipelago of Liarrov, and the unknown coast ofAsia? I could not say. I could no longer judge of the time that waspassing. The clocks had been stopped on board. It seemed, as in polarcountries, that night and day no longer followed their regular course. Ifelt myself being drawn into that strange region where the founderedimagination of Edgar Poe roamed at will. Like the fabulous Gordon Pym, atevery moment I expected to see "that veiled human figure, of largerproportions than those of any inhabitant of the earth, thrown across thecataract which defends the approach to the pole." I estimated (though,perhaps, I may be mistaken) -- I estimated this adventurous course of theNautilus to have lasted fifteen or twenty days. And I know not how much

longer it might have lasted, had it not been for the catastrophe whichended this voyage. Of Captain Nemo I saw nothing whatever now, nor of hissecond. Not a man of the crew was visible for an instant. The Nautilus wasalmost incessantly ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 287

under water. When we came to the surface to renew the air, the panelsopened and shut mechanically. There were no more marks on the planisphere.I knew not where we were. And the Canadian, too, his strength and patienceat an end, appeared no more. Conseil could not draw a word from him; and,fearing that, in a dreadful fit of madness, he might kill himself, watchedhim with constant devotion. One morning (what date it was I could not say)

I had fallen into a heavy sleep towards the early hours, a sleep bothpainful and unhealthy, when I suddenly awoke. Ned Land was leaning over me,saying, in a low voice, "We are going to fly." I sat up.

"When shall we go?" I asked.

"To-night. All inspection on board the Nautilus seems to have ceased.All appear to be stupefied. You will be ready, sir?"

"Yes; where are we?"



"In sight of land. I took the reckoning this morning in the fog --twenty miles to the east."

"What country is it?"

"I do not know; but, whatever it is, we will take refuge there."

"Yes, Ned, yes. We will fly to-night, even if the sea should swallowus up."

"The sea is bad, the wind violent, but twenty miles in that light boatof the Nautilus does not frighten me. Unknown to the crew, I have been ableto procure food and some bottles of water."

"I will follow you."

"But," continued the Canadian, "if I am surprised, I will defendmyself ; I will force them to kill me."

"We will die together, friend Ned."

I had made up my mind to all. The Canadian left me. I reached theplatform, on which I could with difficulty support myself against the shock

of the waves. The sky was threatening; but, as land was in those thickbrown shadows, we must fly. I returned to the saloon, fearing and yethoping to see Captain Nemo, wishing and yet not wishing to see him. Whatcould I have said to him? Could I hide the ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 288

involuntary horror with which he inspired me? No. It was better that Ishould not meet him face to face; better to forget him. And yet -- How longseemed that day, the last that I should pass in the Nautilus. I remainedalone. Ned Land and Conseil avoided speaking, for fear of betrayingthemselves. At six I dined, but I was not hungry; I forced myself to eat inspite of my disgust, that I might not weaken myself. At half-past six Ned

Land came to my room, saying, "We shall not see each other again before ourdeparture. At ten the moon will not be risen. We will profit by thedarkness. Come to the boat; Conseil and I will wait for you."

The Canadian went out without giving me time to answer. Wishing toverify the course of the Nautilus, I went to the saloon. We were runningN.N.E. at frightful speed, and more than fifty yards deep. I cast a lastlook on these wonders of nature, on the riches of art heaped up in thismuseum, upon the unrivalled collection destined to perish at the bottom ofthe sea, with him who had formed it. I wished to fix an indelibleimpression of it in my mind. I remained an hour thus, bathed in the lightof that luminous ceiling, and passing in review those treasures shiningunder their glasses. Then I returned to my room.

I dressed myself in strong sea clothing. I collected my notes, placingthem carefully about me. My heart beat loudly. I could not check itspulsations. Certainly my trouble and agitation would have betrayed me toCaptain Nemo's eyes. What was he doing at this moment? I listened at thedoor of his room. I heard steps. Captain Nemo was there. He had not gone torest. At every moment I expected to see him appear, and ask me why I wishedto fly. I was constantly on the alert. My imagination magnified everything.The impression became at last so poignant that I asked myself if it wouldnot be better to go to the Captain's room, see him face to face, and brave



him with look and gesture.

It was the inspiration of a madman; fortunately I resisted the desire,and stretched myself on my bed to quiet my bodily agitation. My nerves weresomewhat calmer, but in my ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 289

excited brain I saw over again all my existence on board the Nautilus;every incident, either happy or unfortunate, which had happened since mydisappearance from the Abraham Lincoln -- the submarine hunt, the TorresStraits, the savages of Papua, the running ashore, the coral cemetery, thepassage of Suez, the Island of Santorin, the Cretan diver, Vigo Bay,Atlantis, the iceberg, the South Pole, the imprisonment in the ice, thefight among the poulps, the storm in the Gulf Stream, the Avenger, and thehorrible scene of the vessel sunk with all her crew. All these eventspassed before my eyes like scenes in a drama. Then Captain Nemo seemed togrow enormously, his features to assume superhuman proportions. He was nolonger my equal, but a man of the waters, the genie of the sea.

It was then half-past nine. I held my head between my hands to keep itfrom bursting. I closed my eyes; I would not think any longer. There wasanother half-hour to wait, another half-hour of a nightmare, which mightdrive me mad.

At that moment I heard the distant strains of the organ, a sad harmonyto an undefinable chant, the wail of a soul longing to break these earthlybonds. I listened with every sense, scarcely breathing; plunged, likeCaptain Nemo, in that musical ecstasy, which was drawing him in spirit tothe end of life.

Then a sudden thought terrified me. Captain Nemo had left his room. Hewas in the saloon, which I must cross to fly. There I should meet him forthe last time. He would see me, perhaps speak to me. A gesture of his mightdestroy me, a single word chain me on board.

But ten was about to strike. The moment had come for me to leave my

room, and join my companions.

I must not hesitate, even if Captain Nemo himself should rise beforeme. I opened my door carefully; and even then, as it turned on its hinges,it seemed to me to make a dreadful noise. Perhaps it only existed in my ownimagination.

I crept along the dark stairs of the Nautilus, stopping at each stepto check the beating of my heart. I reached the door of the saloon, andopened it gently. It was plunged in ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 290

profound darkness. The strains of the organ sounded faintly. Captain Nemowas there. He did not see me. In the full light I do not think he wouldhave noticed me, so entirely was he absorbed in the ecstasy.

I crept along the carpet, avoiding the slightest sound which mightbetray my presence. I was at least five minutes reaching the door, at theopposite side, opening into the library.

I was going to open it, when a sigh from Captain Nemo nailed me to thespot. I knew that he was rising. I could even see him, for the light from



the library came through to the saloon. He came towards me silently, withhis arms crossed, gliding like a spectre rather than walking. His breastwas swelling with sobs; and I heard him murmur these words (the last whichever struck my ear):

"Almighty God! enough! enough!"

Was it a confession of remorse which thus escaped from this man'sconscience?

In desperation, I rushed through the library, mounted the centralstaircase, and, following the upper flight, reached the boat. I creptthrough the opening, which had already admitted my two companions.

"Let us go! let us go!" I exclaimed.

"Directly!" replied the Canadian.

The orifice in the plates of the Nautilus was first closed, andfastened down by means of a false key, with which Ned Land had providedhimself; the opening in the boat was also closed. The Canadian began toloosen the bolts which still held us to the submarine boat.

Suddenly a noise was heard. Voices were answering each other loudly.

What was the matter? Had they discovered our flight? I felt Ned Landslipping a dagger into my hand.

"Yes," I murmured, "we know how to die!"

The Canadian had stopped in his work. But one word many timesrepeated, a dreadful word, revealed the cause of the agitation spreading onboard the Nautilus. It was not we the crew were looking after!

"The maelstrom! the maelstrom! Could a more dreadful word in a moredreadful situation have sounded in our ears! ------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 291

We were then upon the dangerous coast of Norway. Was the Nautilus beingdrawn into this gulf at the moment our boat was going to leave its sides?We knew that at the tide the pent-up waters between the islands of Ferroeand Loffoden rush with irresistible violence, forming a whirlpool fromwhich no vessel ever escapes. From every point of the horizon enormouswaves were meeting, forming a gulf justly called the "Navel of the Ocean,"whose power of attraction extends to a distance of twelve miles. There, notonly vessels, but whales are sacrificed, as well as white bears from thenorthern regions.

It is thither that the Nautilus, voluntarily or involuntarily, hadbeen run by the Captain.

It was describing a spiral, the circumference of which was lesseningby degrees, and the boat, which was still fastened to its side, was carriedalong with giddy speed. I felt that sickly giddiness which arises fromlong-continued whirling round.

We were in dread. Our horror was at its height, circulation hadstopped, all nervous influence was annihilated, and we were covered withcold sweat, like a sweat of agony! And what noise around our frail bark!What roarings repeated by the echo miles away! What an uproar was that of



the waters broken on the sharp rocks at the bottom, where the hardestbodies are crushed, and trees worn away, "with all the fur rubbed off,"according to the Norwegian phrase!

What a situation to be in! We rocked frightfully. The Nautilusdefended itself like a human being. Its steel muscles cracked. Sometimes itseemed to stand upright, and we with it!

"We must hold on," said Ned, "and look after the bolts. We may stillbe saved if we stick to the Nautilus."

He had not finished the words, when we heard a crashing noise, thebolts gave way, and the boat, torn from its groove, was hurled like a stonefrom a sling into the midst of the whirlpool.

My head struck on a piece of iron, and with the violent shock I lostall consciousness.

------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 292

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Chapter 2.23

CONCLUSION

THUS ends the voyage under the seas. What passed during that night --how the boat escaped from the eddies of the maelstrom -- how Ned Land,Conseil, and myself ever came out of the gulf, I cannot tell.

But when I returned to consciousness, I was lying in a fisherman'shut, on the Loffoden Isles. My two companions, safe and sound, were near meholding my hands. We embraced each other heartily.

At that moment we could not think of returning to France. The means ofcommunication between the north of Norway and the south are rare. And I am

therefore obliged to wait for the steamboat running monthly from CapeNorth.

And, among the worthy people who have so kindly received us, I revisemy record of these adventures once more. Not a fact has been omitted, not adetail exaggerated. It is a faithful narrative of this incredibleexpedition in an element inaccessible to man, but to which Progress willone day open a road.

Shall I be believed? I do not know. And it matters little, after all.What I now affirm is, that I have a right to speak of these seas, underwhich, in less than ten months, I have crossed 20,000 leagues in thatsubmarine tour of the world, which has revealed so many wonders.

But what has become of the Nautilus? Did it resist the pressure of themaelstrom? Does Captain Nemo still live? And does he still follow under theocean those frightful retaliations? Or, did he stop after the lasthecatomb?

Will the waves one day carry to him this manuscript containing thehistory of his life? Shall I ever know the name of this man? Will themissing vessel tell us by its nationality that of Captain Nemo?

verne, jules - twenty thousand leagues under the sea

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